.-.'.'"     '■■'. "  .    ■■■     -  " 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE 


AUGUSTIN 
FILON 


,-V 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  THE 
EMPRESS  EUGENIE 


THE  EMPRESS  EUGENIE  IN  ROYAL  ROBES 
From  the  picture  by  JVinlcrhalter 


Recollections  of  the 

Empress  Eugenie 


By 


Augustin   Filon 


WITH  EIGHT  HALF-TONE  PLATES 


Funk  &  Wagnalls  Company 

New  York 
1921 


Copyright,  November,  1920,  by 
FUNK  &  WAGNALLS  COMPANY 

[  Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America  ] 

First  Published  in  the  United  States,  1921 


Copyright  Under  the  Articles  of  the  Copyright  Convention 

of  the  Pan-American  Republics  and  the 

United  States,  August  11,  1910. 


PUBLISHERS'   NOTE 

The  writer  of  the  following  pages,  M.  Augustin  Filon, 
was  a  well-known  French  man  of  letters  and  the  author 
of  a  number  of  works  of  fiction,  as  well  as  of  many 
articles,  reviews  and  books  on  contemporary  English 
politics,  art  and  literature.  A  sympathetic  observer  and 
critic  of  England,  where  he  had  made  his  home  after 
the  revolution  of  1870,  he  greatly  helped  to  make  Eng- 
land understood  by  his  countrymen,  and  may  thus  be 
counted  among  the  most  useful  pioneers  of  the  Entente 
Cordiale. 

Born  in  1 841,  in  Paris,  he  took  up  teaching  as  a  pro- 
fession after  a  brilliant  school  and  University  career,  and 
for  some  years  lectured  in  the  Lycees  of  Nice  and 
Grenoble.  In  1867  he  was  selected  by  the  then  Minister 
of  Education,  M.  Victor  Duruy,  to  supervise  the  educa- 
tion of  the  Prince  Imperial,  a  task  to  which  he  devoted 
his  whole  time  and  energy  until  1875,  when,  the  Prince 
being  now  of  age,  M.  Filon  left  the  Imperial  household 
and  married  shortly  afterwards.  During  those  eight 
years  he  was  in  constant  and  intimate  contact,  not  only 
with  the  Prince,  but  also  with  the  Emperor  and  Empress, 
the  latter  of  whom  especially  reposed  in  him  an  affection- 
ate trust  and  kept  up  friendly  relations  which  were  broken 
only  by  death.  During  the  Empress's  Regency  in  1870 
M.  Filon  acted  as  her  private  secretary,  and  he  was  there- 
fore able  to  speak  of  the  political  events  of  that  time  with 
authority  and  first-hand  knowledge.  He  accompanied 
the  Imperial  family  to  Chislehurst,  and  was  at  Woolwich 


Publishers'    Note 


with  the  Prince  Imperial  when  the  latter  was  a  cadet  at 
the  Royal  Military  Academy.  About  1877  M.  Filon 
suffered  from  a  severe  illness  which  necessitated  a  suc- 
cession of  operations,  as  a  result  of  which  he  was  almost 
entirely  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  eyes.  Some  time  after- 
wards he  settled  definitely  in  England,  first  at  Margate 
and  later  in  Croydon,  where  he  died  suddenly  on  May  13, 
1916.  It  was  during  this  period  (1880-1916)  that  he  pro- 
duced the  bulk  of  his  literary  work,  in  spite  of  the  great 
difficulties  caused  by  his  sight,  which  failed  him  almost 
entirely  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life. 

The  present  "Recollections"  were  left  among  his 
MSS.  with  instructions  that  they  were  not  to  be  published 
during  the  lifetime  of  the  Empress.  They  were  not 
intended  by  him  in  any  way  as  a  biography  of  the  Empress 
Eugenie,  still  less  as  a  panegyric,  but  as  a  conscientious 
record  of  unbiased  personal  evidence  concerning  person- 
alities and  events  about  which  there  has  been  much  bitter 
controversy.  Hence  the  personal  note  which  is  dominant 
throughout  the  book,  and  which  is  essential  if  the  reader 
is  to  discriminate  between  what  the  author  has  actually 
witnessed,  what  he  relates  at  second-hand,  and  what  he 
has  obtained  from  documents.  Whenever  his  own  experi- 
ences are  not  strictly  relevant  to  the  immediate  subject, 
M.  Filon  has  kept  them  carefully  in  the  background:  he 
says  nothing,  for  example,  of  his  own  return  to  France  in 
1870  to  enlist  as  a  soldier,  when,  as  a  reward  for  his 
patriotic  initiative,  he  was  arrested  by  order  of  the  Re- 
publican Government  and  expelled  from  France,  after 
being  kept  for  weeks  in  a  cell  with  a  sentence  of  death 
hanging  over  him. 

In  translating  the  work  (of  which  the  proofs,  unfor- 
tunately, could  not  be  revised  by  the  author),  every  effort 

vi 


Publishers'    Note 


has  been  made  to  keep  scrupulously  to  the  sense  of  the 
French  original.  A  few  footnotes  have  been  added  to 
make  intelligible  certain  references  or  expressions  which 
might  have  puzzled  the  English  reader;  and  some  obvious 
oversights  such  as  mistakes  in  spelling  of  proper  names, 
etc.,  clearly  due  to  the  fact  that  the  author's  infirmity 
made  him  dependent  on  other  eyes  than  his  own,  have 
been  corrected. 

It  had  been  M.  Filon's  intention  to  have  added  at  the 
end  various  notes  and  appendices.  Of  these  no  trace 
has  been  found  among  his  papers,  and  it  seems  probable 
that  death  overtook  him  before  he  was  able  to  complete 
this  part  of  the  work.  All  references  in  the  text  to  such 
appendices  have  therefore  been  deleted. 

The  book  was  primarily  addrest  to  French  readers, 
and  has  been  published  almost  simultaneously  in  France. 
This  point  of  view  has  been  retained  in  the  English 
translation,  as  it  was  felt  that  any  adaptation  or  modifica- 
tion of  the  text  was  both  impracticable  and  undesirable. 

Finally,  it  should  be  noted  that,  as  the  Empress 
Eugenie  survived  M.  Filon  by  four  years  (her  death  took 
place  on  July  1 1,  1920)  these  last  four  years  of  her  life 
are  not  dealt  with. 


vu 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

The  Empress  Eugenie  in  Royal  Robes        .     .     .      Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Fontainebleau 46 

Saint  Cloud 58 

Napoleon  III 134 

The  Empress  Eugenie  in  1870 214 

The  Empress  Eugenie  in  1889 214 

Camden  House,  Chislehurst 234 

Farnborough  Hill  234 

Napoleon  III  and  the  Prince  Imperial  in  1871      ....   248 
The  Empress  Eugenie  toward  the  Close  of  her  Life     .     .   276 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

1.  First  Impressions:  Memories  of  the  Past       ....       i 

2.  The    Romance    of    Louis-Napoleon    and    Eugenie   de 

Guzman — After  the  Marriage 20 

3.  The  Empress  at  Home 

I.  Biarritz,  Fontainebleau,  Compi^gne  and  Saint 

Cloud 43 

4.  The  Empress  at  Home 

II.  Life  at  the  Tuileries  (1867-70).    The  Empress 

and  Politics         61 

5.  The  Regency 

I.  July  28-August  7,  1870 84 

6.  The  Regency 

II.  August  7-September  4,  1870 109 

7.  The  Fourth  of  September 136 

8.  From  the  Tuileries  to  Hastings 158 

9.  Monsieur  Regnier        170 

10.  The  Empress  and  the  Capitulation  of  Metz  ....   197 

11.  Life  at  Chislehurst 233 

12.  January  9,  1873 259 

13.  The  Empress  Effaces  Herself 272 

14.  The  Pilgrimage  to  Itelezi 287 

15.  Forty  Years  of  Silence 305 

Index 319 


Recollections  of  the   Empress 
Eugenie 

CHAPTER  I 

FIRST  IMPRESSIONS:  MEMORIES  OF  THE  PAST 

I  WAS  first  presented  to  the  Empress  Eugenie  on 
September  5,  1867,  and  the  day  before  General 
Frossard  had  instructed  me  in  my  duties  as  tutor, 
or,  to  be  more  correct,  as  assistant-tutor,  to  the  Prince 
Imperial.  The  Prince,  convalescent  after  an  illness,  was 
then  staying  at  Saint  Cloud  with  a  small  entourage  of 
three  or  four  people  who  seemed  lost  in  the  immense 
deserted  chateau,  where  I  had  spent  the  last  twenty-four 
hours,  marveling  at  the  magical  change  in  my  humble 
existence,  and  abandoning  myself  to  the  fascination  of 
this  royal  solitude. 

I  wandered  undisturbed  through  galleries  crowded 
with  art  treasures  and  peopled  with  memories  of  the  past. 
Through  the  half-open  windows  I  listened  to  the  murmur- 
ing music  of  the  fountains  which  "ceased  not  day  nor 
night,"  and  I  watched  the  sunshine  gild  the  sward  once 
trodden  by  Marie  Antoinette  and  Marie-Louise. 

We  smoked  an  after-dinner  cigar  in  the  great  Cour 
d'Honneur,  whilst  over  Paris,  so  vague  and  distant,  the 
reflection  of  many  lights  gradually  spread  in  the  evening 
sky.  Suddenly  the  sound  of  wheels  and  lights  moving 
in  regular  file  directed  our  attention  towards  the  Avenue. 

1 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"It  is  the  Emperor  and  the  Empress ! "  exclaimed  my 
companions,  who  were  apparently  accustomed  to  these 
surprise  visits,  and  they  rushed  off  to  receive  Their 
Majesties.  I  followed,  and  the  next  instant  I  found 
myself  in  the  midst  of  a  number  of  strangers,  none  of 
whom  took  the  smallest  notice  of  me.  These  gentlemen 
and  ladies  followed  the  sovereigns  up  the  great  staircase; 
I  did  the  same,  and  by  the  time  we  reached  the  first  salon, 
which  was  situated  between  the  Prince's  study  and  the 
aide-de-camp's  room,  I  was  so  completely  hidden  that  I 
was  greatly  surprized  when  the  Empress  said  to  the 
Emperor : 

"I  think  I  notice  a  new  face!" 

At  once,  as  if  by  magic,  the  crowd  parted,  and  those 
next  to  me,  who  until  then  had  seemed  unconscious  of 
my  existence,  stood  aside. 

"Let  me  introduce  Louis'  new  tutor  to  you,"  said  the 
Emperor,  to  whom  I  had  been  presented  by  General 
Frossard  on  the  preceding  Friday;  and  in  these  words 
the  Emperor  dispensed  with  the  title  of  assistant-tutor 
deliberately  chosen  by  the  Governor,  but  never  mentioned 
again. 

I  bowed  so  low  that  I  almost  missed  the  smile  with 
which  the  Empress  greeted  me.  Thereupon  the  Emperor 
and  the  Empress  went  into  their  son's  room  and  I  saw 
nothing  more  of  them  that  evening. 

The  following  day  the  Court  dined  at  Saint  Cloud, 
and  the  Empress  went  with  her  attendants  on  a  torchlight 
excursion  to  Versailles  and  Trianon.  She  invited  "the 
young  Court,"  as  we  were  called,  to  accompany  her,  and 
"the  young  Court"  was  nothing  loath  to  enjoy  itself. 
Personally  I  should  have  loved  to  revisit  the  scenes  of 
my  childhood  in  such  distinguished  company  and  under 

2 


Meeting  with   the   Empress 


such  picturesque  conditions,  but  etiquet  obliged  us  to 
decline,  with  a  great  show  of  respect,  any  amusement  in 
which  our  Prince  was  unable  to  participate. 

At  dinner  I  sat  between  Louise  Stuart — a  niece  of 
the  Empress — and  the  charming  Count  of  Cosse  Brissac, 
who  afterwards  became  one  of  my  friends.  I  was  placed 
rather  prominently,  and  I  felt  instinctively  that  I  was 
being  closely  observed  by  the  mother  of  my  pupil,  who 
was  doubtless  curious  to  know  what  manner  of  man 
M.  Duruy  and  M.  Frossard  had  chosen  to  instruct  her 
son.  I  have  always  been  near-sighted,  and,  as  I  dared 
not  use  my  eyeglass,  the  Empress  that  night  was  for  me 
merely  a  voice! 

On  September  7  we  left  for  Biarritz.  The  Empress 
spoke  to  me  very  kindly  several  times  during  the  journey, 
but  I  was  too  nervous  even  to  glance  at  her;  I  only 
answered  in  monosyllables,  although  everyone  else  seemed 
wonderfully  at  ease  with  her. 

We  arrived  at  the  Villa  Eugenie  on  Sunday,  Sep- 
tember 8,  and  in  the  afternoon  the  Empress  honored  me 
with  a  long  interview — an  interview  which  banished  all 
my  fears  and  marked  the  commencement  of  a  succession 
of  surprizes. 

I  found  the  Empress  entirely  different,  physically, 
mentally  and  morally,  from  the  woman  I  had  imagined 
her  to  be.  As  I  had  passed  the  fourteen  years  of  her 
reign  first  at  a  boarding  school,  then  at  college,  and 
later  in  a  provincial  town,  I  only  knew  her  by  her  por- 
traits. Two  especially  had  always  struck  me:  one  was  the 
lovely  profile  by  Winterhalter,  so  often  reproduced  as 
an  engraving,  the  original  of  which  I  was  destined  to 
convey  to  Camden  Place  after  its  rescue  by  the  Registrar 
of    Fontainebleau;    the   other   was    an   official   painting, 

3 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

copies  of  which  hung  in  all  the  important  provincial  town 
halls,  and  which  even  the  color  printers  of  Epinal  had 
failed  to  spoil  entirely. 

In  it  the  Empress  is  shown  standing,  wearing  a  magnif- 
icent crown  of  precious  stones,  with  her  Imperial  mantle 
sweeping  the  steps  of  the  throne.  Winterhalter  had  given 
her  the  look  of  a  dreamer,  a  look  of  mingled  sweetness 
and  veiled  melancholy,  which  seemed  to  search  among 
the  shadows  of  the  future  or  of  the  past  for  some  unspoken 
hope  or  regret.  But  in  the  official  picture  she  appears 
young,  dazzling,  almost  childishly  happy,  the  artist  insist- 
ing on  her  face  expressing  a  sort  of  enraptured  wonder 
at  her  exalted  fortune. 

Neither  of  these  pictures  conveys  any  idea  of  the 
character  or  intellect  of  their  subject.  When  afterwards 
I  saw  the  Empress,  majestic  in  her  imperial  splendor, 
I  often  noticed  in  her  expression  that  sweet  and  dreamy 
sadness  which  Winterhalter  had  sensed  and  exprest. 
But  when  I  saw  her  at  close  quarters  for  the  first  time 
she  recalled  neither  of  these  two  pictures.  There  was  no 
posing,  no  striving  after  effect;  she  was  far  simpler  and 
more  natural  in  her  movements  and  in  her  speech  than 
any  of  the  ladies  who  surrounded  her,  and  she  seemed 
to  think  no  more  of  playing  the  part  of  a  pretty  woman 
than  of  assuming  the  role  of  an  Empress. 

Many  years  have  passed  since  that  Sunday  afternoon 
at  Biarritz,  but  I  can  still  see  her  standing  on  the  terrace 
of  the  Villa.  She  had  neither  hat  nor  parasol,  and,  shad- 
ing her  eyes  with  her  tiny  gloved  hand,  she  gave  little 
thought  to  the  ravages  of  a  sun  almost  Spanish  in  its  in- 
tensity, a  glare  which  did  not  spare  a  complexion  already 
a  little  faded.  It  would  have  been  easy  for  her  to  have 
hidden  certain  marks  and  lines — hardly  visible,  perhaps — 

4 


The    Prince    Imperial's    Studies 

left  on  her  face  by  physical  and  mental  suffering.  But 
she  never  resorted  to  artificial  aids  to  beauty,  and,  beyond 
using  a  little  harmless  rice  powder,  her  only  weakness 
was  a  penciled  line  under  the  eyelashes.  She  had  come 
to  consider  that  this  black  line  was  an  essential  part  of 
her  appearance,  and  she  would  not  have  recognized  herself 
without  the  artificial  shadow  which  changed  the  expression 
of  her  eyes.  I  might  almost  say  that  her  insistence  upon 
it  was  an  expression  of  her  truthfulness.  She  felt  that 
to  be  seen  without  this  would  have  the  effect  of  a  dis- 
guise, and  she  once  stubbornly  refused  to  do  away  with 
the  black  line  when  its  omission  might  have  been  her 
salvation. 

But  I  must  return  to  the  terrace  at  Biarritz  and  to  our 
interview.  The  Empress  first  asked  me  to  allow  her 
nieces  to  share  some  of  the  Prince  Imperial's  studies  until 
their  governess,1  whose  arrival  was  daily  expected,  joined 
them.  Then  our  conversation  turned  on  the  Prince's 
education.  She  spoke  freely,  with  a  warmth  and  frank- 
ness that  alike  astonished  and  charmed  me,  and  from 
that  day  she  seemed  to  repose  entire  confidence  in  me. 
She  spoke  kindly,  almost  affectionately,  of  my  teacher, 
Victor  Duruy,  who  was,  I  had  always  thought,  her  pet 
aversion,  and  exprest  her  opinions  unsparingly  about 
various  persons  who  were  popularly  supposed  to  enjoy 
her  favor. 

Her  views,  far  in  advance  of  those  propounded  for 
the  last  thirty  years  by  the  best  educational  authorities, 
were  sound,  new  and  daring.  The  Empress  laid  stress 
upon  the  development  of  character  above  all  things.  She 
wanted    instilled    into    her    son    independent    judgment 

1  This  governess,  chosen  from  the  most  distinguished  ladies  at  Saint  Denis,  was 
Mile.  Redel,  who  married  Victor  Duruy  some  years  later. 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

combined  with  proper  respect  for  the  rights  of  others, 
initiative,  and  "the  courage  to  think,"  which,  she  said, 
"must  precede  the  courage  to  act." 

Her  words  made  a  deep  impression  on  me  and  dissi- 
pated my  former  idea  of  her  as  the  flawless  beauty  who 
reigned  like  a  fairy  queen  in  the  midst  of  theatrical 
splendor.  Instead,  here  was  a  woman  who  possest 
both  brains  and  heart,  and  who  inspired  me  with 
passionate  loyalty. 

This  first  impression  might  perhaps  have  faded  had 
it  not  been  subsequently  confirmed  during  the  days 
following.    On  September  19  I  wrote  to  my  mother: 

"It  is  impossible  to  imagine  anyone  so  fascinating 
and  at  the  same  time  so  regal  as  the  Empress,  and  one 
is  naturally  impelled  to  try  to  please  her  and  to  deserve 
her  gracious  regard.  She  combines  a  chivalrous  and 
impulsive  nature  with  a  mind  whose  practical  knowledge 
and  accuracy  continually  astonishes  even  the  expert.  She 
argues  with  a  brilliance  which  absolutely  dumbfounds  me, 
and  she  possesses  that  wonderful  gift,  rarely  found  in  a 
woman — the  gift  of  eloquence."  l 

As  the  Empress  showed  herself  to  me,  so  she  showed 
herself  to  others.  The  Emperor  was  constantly  asking 
people  questions,  and  he  received  their  replies  with  a 
vague  mutter  which  might  have  been  interpreted  in  many 
ways,  but  as  he  also  inclined  his  head  and  smiled  with 
his  eyes  and  with  his  lips,  the  person  interrogated  fully 

1  Yet  the  Empress  often  used  to  amuse  herself  by  telling  us  how,  during  certain 
State  functions,  she  never  spoke  a  word,  and  once  practically  ran  away  in  the  middle 
of  the  ceremony  when  she  was  presiding  at  the  Societe  du  Prince  Imperial.  Per- 
sonally, I  regard  these  anecdotes  merely  as  harmless  jokes  at  her  own  expense,  be- 
cause I  never  once  found  her  at  a  loss  for  the  right  word  to  suit  the  occasion,  no  matter 
whether  it  called  for  tact,  energy,  or  picturesque  effect.  It  was  no  good  believing 
all  she  said  about  herself.  She  once  told  me  she  was  a  coward  on  a  certain  day  when 
she  showed  extraordinary  courage. 

6 


An   Autobiographical   Interest 

believed  that  his  listener  was  charmed  with  his  conversa- 
tion. The  Empress  was  an  ardent  debater,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  that  she  liked  best  those  who  contradicted  her  most 
boldly.  Among  these  at  Biarritz  in  1867  I  remember 
Admiral  Jurien  de  la  Graviere  and  Baron  Corvisart.  The 
others  grumbled  against  them  and  accused  them  of  "over- 
exciting  the  Empress,"  as  if  it  were  the  greatest  crime 
to  make  her  talk!  I  soon  became  guilty  of  the  same 
offense.  The  Empress  knew  that  I  was  wholly  devoted 
to  her,  although  I  never  looked  as  if  I  were  dying  of  love 
for  her!  My  attitude  pleased  her  and  was  the  primary 
cause  of  the  regard  which  she  always  showed  me — a  regard 
which  suffered  occasional  eclipses,  but  which  ever  returned, 
and  which  has  been  the  pride  of  my  life.  This  regard 
earned  for  me  very  precious  confidences.  I  noted  these 
down  at  the  time,  almost  in  the  Empress's  own  words,  and 
I  shall  relate  them  in  the  order  of  the  times  at  which 
they  were  made,  and  add  such  further  details  as  I  have 
gathered  from  unpublished  letters  which  have  been 
communicated  to  me  or  from  the  statements  of  entirely 
trustworthy  eye-witnesses. 

I  shall  eliminate  the  innumerable  second-hand  anec- 
dotes, no  matter  how  interesting  they  may  be  or  from 
what  "authentic"  source  they  are  supposed  to  emanate. 
The  pages  of  this  book  will  not,  therefore,  constitute  a 
consecutive  narrative,  and  they  must  not  be  looked  upon 
in  the  smallest  degree  as  a  life  of  the  Empress,  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  possess  a  kind  of  autobiographical 
interest,  because  the  Empress  speaks  through  me;  and 
failing  those  recollections  which  we  should  have  been  so 
thrilled  to  read,  and  which  she  would  never  consent  to 
write,  there  will  be  found  some  trace  of  her  personal 
impressions  in  much  which  I  have  set  down. 

7 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"I  was  born,"  said  the  Empress  to  me,  "during  an 
earthquake.  .  .  .  My  mother's  accouchement  took  place 
beneath  a  tent  in  our  garden.  What  would  the  ancients 
have  thought  of  such  an  omen?  Surely  they  would  have 
said  I  was  destined  to  unsettle  the  world." 

The  Empress  often  spoke  of  her  father  and  mother. 
She  had  a  sort  of  religious  veneration  for  her  father's 
memory,  and  mentioned  his  eccentricities  in  the  most 
tender  and  touching  manner,  even  when  she  was  obliged 
to  smile  at  the  recollection  of  them!  All  those  who 
knew  her  intimately  will  remember  that  Count  Cyprien 
de  Montijo's  miniature  never  left  her  possession,  and 
from  the  first  day  of  our  exile  I  found  it  on  her  table, 
exactly  as  I  had  seen  it  so  often  at  the  Tuileries.  Part 
of  the  Count's  face  was  hidden  by  a  black  bandage  which 
spoke  of  a  glorious  wound  received  in  the  service  of 
France,  and  his  fine  pale  features  were  not  unlike  those 
of  his  daughter.  Eugenie  was,  body  and  soul,  a  true 
Montijo,  but  a  little  infusion  of  Flemish  and  Scotch  blood 
endowed  her  with  the  common  sense  which  was  so  appar- 
ent in  her  at  certain  times  and  which  counterbalanced  the 
heroic  follies  of  her  Spanish  ancestry. 

The  Empress's  father  assumed  the  title  of  Count  of 
Montijo  on  the  death  of  his  eldest  brother  Eugenio,  uncle 
and  godfather  to  his  child.  These  two  men  would  be 
objects  of  general  admiration  were  their  record  better 
known.  Eugenio  made  a  magnificent  and  despairing  effort 
to  overthrow  the  infamous  Manuel  Godo'i,  and  as  a  recom- 
pense he  received  the  insults  of  a  dull  and  commonplace 
world  which  grovels  in  the  mud  before  success : 

Sed  quid 
Turba  Remi  ?    Sequitur  Fortunam,  ut  semper,  et  odit 
Damnatos.   .  .  . 

8 


Comtesse   Montijo 


In  1845  M.  Thiers  begged  Merimee  to  use  his  influence 
with  Mme.de  Montijo  and  ask  her  to  give  him  some  partic- 
ulars about  her  brother-in-law's  character  and  adventures. 
This  information  he  distorted  with  that  cynical  con- 
tempt for  the  truth  which  was  characteristic  of  the  man. 

The  younger  brother,  Colonel  Portocarrero,  was  a 
liberal-minded  philosopher  who  loved  France  because  to 
him  she  represented  the  home  of  philosophy  and  liberty. 
But  he  also  admired  genius  and  glory,  and  for  that  reason 
he  served  France  and  Napoleon.  It  was  he  who,  in 
1 8 14,  at  the  head  of  the  young  pupils  of  the  Ecole 
Polytechnique,  fired  the  last  shots  on  the  advancing  Allies 
from  the  cannons  of  Montmartre.  He  was  thus  a  fit 
object  of  persecution  for  Ferdinand  VII,  and  was  treated 
by  him  accordingly.  As  for  his  wife,  the  Comtesse  de 
Montijo,  I  never  saw  her.  I  knew  her  by  an  exquisite  por- 
trait by  Goya,  by  what  the  Empress  told  me,  and  above 
all  by  the  unpublished  letters  of  Merimee,  which  cover  a 
period  of  thirty-one  years  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
breaks  and  some  slackening  towards  the  end  of  the 
correspondence.  The  personality  of  the  Comtesse  de 
Montijo  lives  in  these  letters  addrest  to  her  by  Merimee, 
which  enlighten  us  as  to  her  tastes,  her  occupations,  her 
character,  and  her  attitude  towards  her  friends  and  her 
daughters.  It  is  impossible  to  deny  her  rare  and  under- 
standing knowledge  of  literature,  history  and  politics.  I 
have  already  told  in  my  book,  Merimee  et  ses  amis,  how 
the  Comtesse  de  Montijo  assisted  the  famous  writer  in 
his  philological  and  archeological  researches,  and  even 
supplied  him  with  plots  for  novels.  "My  mother,"  said 
the  Empress  to  me,  "wished  to  make  everybody  happy, 
but  in  her  own  way,  not  in  theirs.  .  .   ." 

The   Comtesse   de  Montijo   placed  on   a   pinnacle   all 

9 


Recollections   of  the    Empress   Eugenie 

persons  or  things  in  which  she  took  a  personal  interest — 
first  and  foremost  her  own  daughters,  whom  she  praised 
in  their  hearing  in  a  somewhat  disconcerting  way.  Even 
her  stunted  little  trees  at  Carabanchel  loomed  larger  in 
her  eyes  than  the  majestic  chestnuts  at  the  Tuileries! 
Her  sublime  optimism  enabled  her  to  succeed,  and  she 
triumphed  over  difficulties  because  she  never  acknowl- 
edged their  existence. 

"Listen!"  continued  the  Empress.  "You  know  Les- 
seps,  my  mother's  first  cousin;  well,  he  has  exactly  the 
same  temperament.  Both  have  achieved  the  impossible. 
When  my  mother  knew  she  was  going  blind  she  made 
incredible  efforts  to  hide  her  infirmity  from  strangers  and 
from  herself.  She  insisted  on  directing  her  own  steps  as 
well  as  those  of  others,  she  knocked  over  furniture,  she 
hurt  herself  against  walls  which  she  could  not  see,  she 
attempted  to  walk  through  closed  doors!  So  great  an 
effort  did  it  cost  her  to  acknowledge  herself  beaten — even 
by  an  infirmity." 

From  the  letters  of  Merimee  and  from  what  the  Em- 
press has  told  me  I  am  sure  that  the  Comtesse  de  Montijo 
was  a  born  match-maker.  Matrimonial  projects  for 
her  daughters  were  her  first  preoccupation:  in  her  leisure 
hours  she  pulled  wires  for  candidates  to  the  Academie 
Francaise.  She  lived  in  a  little  world  of  her  own  peopled 
with  friends,  proteges,  hangers-on,  with  whom  she  always 
kept  in  touch  and  of  whose  interests  she  never  lost  sight 
in  the  midst  of  her  multiple  activities.  The  Comtesse 
has  been  falsely  suspected  of  many  weaknesses;  it  would 
have  been  more  accurate  to  have  accused  her  of  the  sin  of 
ambition.  But  her  ambition  was  never  unreasonable, 
and  she  more  than  justified  it  by  her  sterling  qualities, 

rare  in  a  woman,  of  constancy,  energy  and  courage.    As 

10 


First   Days   in   Paris 


"Camerara  mayor,"  during  the  years  1847  and  1848,  she 
acted,  in  a  certain  sense,  as  a  member  of  the  Narvaez 
Cabinet,  and  her  influence  was  so  great  that  it  aroused  the 
jealousy  of  the  Prime  Minister.  When,  against  the  advice 
of  her  elder  daughter,  and  almost  without  the  knowledge 
of  the  one  most  intimately  concerned,  she  played  the  bold 
hand  which  won  for  Eugenie  de  Guzman1  the  title  of  Em- 
press of  the  French,  she  doubtless  dreamed  of  wielding  a 
great  political  influence  in  France.  She  was  cruelly  disillu- 
sioned, but  it  is  only  just  to  admit  that  this  influence,  had 
it  existed,  would  have  been  both  intelligent  and  liberal. 

Days  of  greatness  were  as  yet  far  distant  when  the 
exiled  Montijos  first  came  to  Paris  and  took  up  their 
abode  in  very  modest  lodgings.  "We  were  not  well  off," 
said  the  Empress  to  me,  "and  my  father  was  quite  right 
when  he  said  that  he  wished  us  to  become  accustomed 
early  to  the  poverty  which  he  believed  would  be  our  lot 
in  life.  But  he  carried  things  rather  too  far  when  he  made 
us  wear  linen  gowns  in  all  weathers  and  in  all  seasons, 
and  when  he  would  not  allow  my  mother  to  buy  us  um- 
brella's or  even  to  take  us  with  her  in  a  carriage." 

The  education  of  the  two  little  girls  was  somewhat 
neglected,  but  they  spent  some  time  at  the  Sacre-Cceur, 
one  of  the  best  convents  in  Paris.  They  also  took  lessons 
in  music  and  painting,  but  the  progress  made  by  the 
Empress  in  these  accomplishments  is  not  to  be  judged 
from  the  following  story  she  used  to  tell  against  herself. 

One  day  a  friend  called  to  see  them  and  exclaimed: 
"Well,  it's  quite  plain  to  see  that  you  are  living  in  fur- 
nished rooms!" 

"How   is   that?" 

1  The  full  maiden  name  (in  Spanish)  of  the  Empress  was:  Eugenia  Guzman  y  Palafox 
y  Portocarrero;  de  Montijo  and  de  Teba  were  the  family  titles  (Translator's  Note). 

II 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"Well,  look  at  those  horrible  daubs  on  the  walls.  .  .  . 
They  stamp  the  place!" 

"And  they  were  my  watercolors ! "  said  the  Empress 
in  pitiful  tones. 

But  if  this  story  is  true  the  visitor  was  no  judge.  I 
have  seen  several  watercolors  by  the  Empress  which 
were  charming  in  conception  and  color,  and  very  fine  and 
soft  in  tone. 

The  Empress  asserted  that  she  could  not  sing  a  note, 
but  nevertheless  she  loved  music.  French  light  opera 
was,  however,  little  to  her  taste.  "Just  as  one  is  getting 
interested  in  what  they  are  saying  they  start  singing,"  she 
used  to  say,  "and  when  one  is  interested  in  their  singing 
they  start  talking."  Nor  did  she  care  for  some  of  the 
Italian  operas,  being  little  moved  by  florid  flights  or  vocal 
arpeggios  of  song,  but  she  was  sensitive  to  the  quality 
of  sound,  sentiment  and  style,  and  I  have  seen  her  moved 
to  tears  by  songs  which  touched  some  sympathetic  chord 
in  her  soul. 

Notwithstanding  her  precarious  fortunes,  the  Comtesse 
de  Montijo  moved  in  the  best  Parisian  society.  At  this 
time  she  knew  the  Castellanes  and  the  Delesserts,  and 
Cecile  Delessert,  the  daughter  of  M.  Gabriel  Delessert, 
became  the  intimate  friend  of  Eugenie  de  Montijo.  After 
her  marriage  with  the  Comte  de  Nadaillac,  who  was  an 
avowed  enemy  of  the  dynasty,  this  friendship  did  not 
cease,  and,  although  the  Comtesse  de  Nadaillac  did  not 
appear  at  official  receptions,  she  made  frequent  visits  to 
the  Tuileries,  and  was  invited  in  1869  to  accompany  the 
Empress  to  the  opening  of  the  Suez  Canal.  Edouard  De- 
lessert was  often  a  guest  at  the  Tuileries  and  at  Compiegne, 
and  it  was  hinted  that  he  had  once  entertained  towards  his 

sister's  former  playmate  a  feeling  warmer  than  friendship. 

12 


Stendhal 

Madame  de  Montijo  also  moved  in  artistic  and  literary 
circles.  Merimee,  whom  her  husband  had  introduced  to 
her  in  Spain,  on  the  occasion  of  the  first  journey  made 
by  the  author  of  "Clara  Gazul"  across  the  Pyrenees,  was 
her  greatest  literary  friend,  and  he  introduced  her  to 
many  of  his  acquaintances,  amongst  others  Stendhal, 
whom  the  two  children  knew  as  "Monsieur  Beyle,"  by 
which  name  the  Empress  called  him  to  the  end. 

"He  used  to  come  to  our  rooms  in  the  evening,"  said 
the  Empress,  "and,  taking  us  both  on  his  knees,  he  would 
tell  us  about  the  campaigns  of  Napoleon.  His  visits  were 
red-letter  days,  and  we  could  hardly  be  persuaded  to  go 
to    bed." 

I  do  not  believe  the  Empress  ever  read  a  line  Stendhal 
wrote,  but  after  sixty  years  she  still  preserved  her  first 
ideal  of  him.  To  her  he  was  always  a  dear  old  man  who 
adored  little  girls  and  who  was  a  wonderful  talker.  And 
this  tarnisher  of  souls  first  awakened  heroic  instincts 
within  her;  this  pitiless  realist  inoculated  her  with  the 
worship  of  greatness  and  the  sense  of  the  wonderful  in 
history! 

About  this  time  she  also  indulged  in  a  sort  of  "her- 
oine "  worship  for  Mademoiselle  Rachel.  The  great 
tragedienne,  who  was  then  making  her  first  appearances, 
often  visited  the  Comtesse  de  Montijo  and  gave  her 
tickets  for  the  theater. 

"Rachel  used  to  say  she  wanted  us  to  be  quite  near 
to  her,"  said  Eugenie,  "and  so  we  always  sat  in  the  nearer 
left-hand  box  of  the  lower  tier  (reserved  under  the  Empire 
for  the  Superintendent  of  Fine  Arts).  Our  emotion,  our 
enthusiasm,  our  tears,  inspired  her,  and  she  read  in  our 
dilated  eyes  the  gradual  crescendo  of  her  tragic  power." 
At  that  time  Rachel  seemed  to  Eugenie  de  Montijo  as  a 

13 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

being  placed  beyond  the  follies  and  weaknesses  of  hu- 
manity. Years  after  the  Emperor  enlightened  her  as 
to  another  side  of  her  heroine's  character.1 

She  never  swerved  in  her  belief  in  Rachel's  genius, 
and  one  April  evening  in  1885,  at  Farnborough,  she 
recited  Phedre's  great  speech,  beginning  with  the  words: 
"Oui,  prince,  je  languis,  je  brule  pour  Thesee!"  and  in- 
vested the  declamation  with  all  her  undying  memories  of 
the  great  artist. 

It  was  after  dinner;  the  men  were  in  the  billiard-room 
and  three  ladies  were  sitting  with  the  Empress.  My  wife 
was  one  of  them,  and  she  told  me  how  imprest  she  was 
by  the  forceful  way  in  which  the  Empress  rendered 
Phedre's  passionate  words. 

I  must  return  to  these  bygone  days  of  childhood  and 
girlhood,  when  the  little  girl  who  was  to  be  known  as  the 
Empress  Eugenie  appears  in  two  widely  different  anec- 
dotes. Eugenie  de  Teba  was  only  two  years  old  when 
Merimee  was  first  introduced  to  the  Comtesse  de  Mon- 
tijo.  Some  years  later  a  friend  met  him  in  the  Rue  de 
la  Paix,  holding  the  hand  of  a  charming  little  girl  of  five 
or  six.  Struck  by  the  grace  and  prettiness  of  the  child, 
Merimee's  friend  asked  who  she  was.  "Oh!  it's  a  little 
Spaniard,"  said  Merimee.     "She  is  the  daughter  of  one 

1 1  have  seen  an  interesting  letter  from  Prince  Louis  Napoleon  to  M.  Vieillard, 
in  which  he  introduces  Mademoiselle  Rachel,  and  begs  him  to  act  as  guide  to  an 
inexperienced  young  girl  threatened  with  many  dangers,  and  beset  by  innumer- 
able temptations.  At  the  time  this  letter  was  written  Rachel  was  his  mistress.  I 
have  been  told  this  as  a  fact  by  the  Empress  herself,  who  related  the  following  anec- 
dote a  propos  of  the  liaison.  Rachel  once  went  on  tour  through  the  North  of  Eng- 
land and  Prince  Louis  accompanied  her.  As  a  sort  of  "third"  the  young  Prince 
Napoleon  Jerome  traveled  in  the  compartment  with  them.  Prince  Louis  dropped 
off  to  sleep,  but  happening  to  wake,  he  saw  his  cousin  and  his  mistress  engaged  in 
ardent  love-making.  The  Prince  closed  his  eyes,  said  nothing,  and  peacefully  con- 
tinued his  journey,  but  the  next  day  he  took  the  train  back  to  London.  The  Em- 
press added,  smiling,  "Now,  wasn't  that  exactly  like  him?" — "Like  both  of  them," 
I  commented. 

14 


Death   of  Count  de   Montijo 

of  my  friends  .  .  .  and  I  am  taking  her  to  have  a  feast 
of  cakes."  ! 

Another  day,  some  years  later,  when  Eugenie  was 
walking  on  the  Boulevard  with  her  sister,  they  noticed  a 
pauper  funeral  on  its  way  to  Pere  Lachaise.  Not  a  single 
person  followed  the  corpse,  not  even  the  traditional  dog 
who,  in  the  well-known  picture,  alone  mourns  his  master. 
The  sight  of  this  lonely  funeral  aroused  feelings  of  sorrow 
in  the  hearts  of  the  two  young  girls.  "Let  us  follow  it," 
they  said;  and  they  walked  behind  the  hearse  and  stood 
beside  the  last  resting-place  of  the  unknown  dead.  The 
Empress  Eugenie  never  forgot  this  melancholy  funeral,  the 
corpse  interred  without  a  blessing  or  a  tear,  and  from  this 
memory  originated  the  foundation  of  the  "Aumoniers  des 
dernieres  prieres,"  whose  duties  fulfilled  the  wish  of  the 
Empress  that  religion  should  always  be  represented  at 
funerals  where  family  and  friends  were  non-existent. 

A  new  reign,  which  broke  away  from  the  traditions  of 
Ferdinand  VII,  reopened  the  doors  of  Spain  to  the  exiles 
and  restored  their  worldly  possessions.  But  the  Count 
was  at  first  the  only  member  of  the  family  to  benefit  by 
this  new  order  of  things,  and  it  was  only  after  his  death 
in  1839  that  the  mother  and  daughters  recrossed  the 
Pyrenees.  Then  a  different  life  began  for  them.  If  I 
am  not  mistaken,  I  think  it  was  at  this  time  that  their 
English  governess,  Miss  Flowers,  was  with  them,  and  her 
name  was  frequently  mentioned  by  the  Empress  in 
a  half-smiling,  half-remorseful  manner.  "Poor  Miss 
Flowers,"  she  said;  and  one  guessed  what  a  series  of 
shocks  these  impetuous  girls  must  have  given  an  old 
maid  brought  up  on  lines  favored  by  Miss  Edgeworth 
and  Jane  Austen.    England  was  then  a  mixture  of  senti- 

1  Preface  by  Louis  Fagan.    "Letters  from  Merimee  to  Panizzi." 

is 


Recollections   of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

mentality  and  prudishness,  and  it  had  not  begun  to  take 
the  interest  in  sport  or  flirtation  it  afterwards  displayed. 
Miss  Flowers  taught  her  pupils  English,  and  succeeded 
fairly  well.  The  Empress  pronounced  English  words 
correctly,  but  her  vocabulary  was  limited,  and  in  con- 
sequence she  rather  shrank  from  speaking  this  language. 
As  for  her  mother  tongue,  her  long  stay  in  France  did 
not  appear  to  have  made  any  difference  to  her  knowledge 
of  Spanish.  I  have  been  told  by  men  of  high  breeding 
and  intellectual  culture  that  the  Empress  spoke  the  purest 
Castilian,  and  that  her  enunciation  was  of  a  classical 
dignity  and  clearness.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  when  she 
talked  to  her  former  compatriots  a  stranger  would  have 
noticed  the  difference  between  the  usual  hurried  little 
"explosions"  which  characterize  ordinary  Spanish  con- 
versation and  the  pure  and  sustained  way  in  which  the 
Empress   exprest  herself. 

Even  before  recrossing  the  Pyrenees,  Eugenie  had 
written  to  Merimee;  the  gaiety  of  Madrid  was  powerless 
to  make  either  herself  or  her  sister  forget  the  friends 
they  had  left  behind,  as  is  shown  by  the  two  following 
letters,  both  addrest  to  Beyle. 

The  original  letters  belong  to  a  well-known  collector 
who  recently  communicated  their  contents  to  the  Press. 
The  first  is  dated  December,  1839. 

"Monsieur, — I  have  received  your  letter  with  great 

pleasure.     I  await  impatiently  the  year  1840,  when  you 

say  we  may  hope  to  see  you  again.    I  am  learning  to  paint 

in  oils,  and  I  am  laughing  and  working  just  as  I  did  in 

the  past.     Mama    finds   time  to  give  us   some  lessons, 

and  we  are  trying  not  to  forget  what  we  learnt  in  Paris. 

"At  the  present  moment  Spain  is  in  a  very  unsettled 

16 


Letters   of  Girlhood's    Days 


state.  Everyone  is  crying  out  for  peace,  and  Maroto,  the 
Carlist  general,  has  gone  over  to  Cristino's  party  for 
quite  a  large  bribe,  which  is  not  pretty;  and  all  the  other 
minor  officers  have  followed  his  example.  Navarre, 
Alava,  Guipuzcoa  and  Biscaye  have  declared  for  the 
legitimate  Queen.  It  is  said  that  Don  Carlos  and  the 
Duchess  of  Bura  have  gone  to  France;  Cabrera  is  making 
for  Jaramon,  and  twenty  mounted  men  have  gone  to 
report  the  enemy's  movements.  At  Madrid  there  have 
been  great  fetes  in  honor  of  the  Peace  Proclamation,  but 
peace  has  been  proclaimed  so  often  that  nobody  believes 
in  it  though  everybody  wants  it.  Mama,  my  sister  and 
Miss  Flowers  present  their  compliments  to  you,  and  I  am, 
sir, — Your  devoted  and  affectionate  friend, 

"E.  Guzman  y  Palafox." 

The  second  letter  is  dated  December,  1840,  and,  al- 
though it  is  signed  by  the  elder  girl,  it  seems  to  me  to 
express  the  feelings  of  both  sisters. 

"Madrid,  December,  1840. 
"My  dear  Sir. — It  is  a  long  time  since  I  have  had 
the  pleasure  of  writing  to  you,  but  I  have  been  prevented 
from  doing  so  on  account  of  a  journey  we  have  made  to 
Toledo,  where  we  saw  some  really  magnificent  things. 
Really,  sir,  you  must  make  up  your  mind  to  come  to 
Spain.  Try  to  come  at  the  present  time  when  the  Queen 
is  at  Barcelona  and  at  Valence,  and  from  there  you  will 
only  have  to  travel  by  diligence  for  three  days  to  reach 
Madrid  and  make  your  little  friends  happy.  We  can  have 
our  happy  talks  once  again.  Here  our  only  amusements 
are  to  go  out  after  dinner  to  a  house  in  the  country,  where 
we  run  about  like  really  happy  girls.    We  have  no  friends, 

17 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

as  the  girls  in  Madrid  are  so  stupid  and  they  only  talk 
about  dress,  although  sometimes,  for  a  change,  they  say 
horrible  things  about  each  other.  I  do  not  like  those  kinds 
of  friends.  And  when  I  pay  a  call  I  fidget  all  the  time,  and 
only  speak  when  I  say  good-by.  You  ought  to  be  very 
happy  to  think  that  the  ashes  of  Napoleon  are  to  be 
brought  back  to  France.  I  am,  too,  and  I  should  like  to  be 
in  Paris  for  the  ceremony.  You  will  certainly  have  to  go 
to  Paris,  but  before  doing  so  come  here  and  we  will  travel 
back  together. 

"Adieu,  my  dear  sir,  and  believe  in  the  friendship  of 
your  affectionate 

"Paca  Portocarrero  y  P." 

The  country  house  mentioned  in  the  above  letter  was 
Carabanchel,  and  the  Empress  could  never  mention  the 
name,  even  in  the  years  of  sadness,  without  a  smile  lighting 
her  face  like  a  ray  of  youth.  Carabanchel  was  built  as  a 
whim  of  the  famous  Minister  Cabarrus,  who,  by  some 
chance  of  Fate,  was  the  father  of  Mme.  Tallien  and  the 
great-uncle  of  the  Empress  Eugenie.  He  had  built  a 
residence  and  laid  out  a  park  in  a  spot  which  an  ungrateful 
and  refractory  Nature  had  refused  to  adorn  in  any  way. 
She  seemed  to  have  been  conquered,  but  she  never  def- 
initely acknowledged  her  defeat.  Besides,  what  did  it 
matter?  The  attractions  of  Carabanchel  in  those  happy 
days  consisted  chiefly  in  those  who  lived  there  and  who 
idealized  it  with  their  charm  and  adorned  it  with  their 
beauty.  Love  was  in  the  very  air.  Merimee  used  to  say 
that  he  heard  love-sighs  in  every  corner. 

Dancing  took  place  at  Carabanchel.  The  inmates 
acted  comedies,  they  sang  grand  opera — nothing  daunted 
Madame  de  Montijo!    I  asked  the  Empress  what  part  she 


Carabanchel 


took  in  these  entertainments,  but  I  could  only  get  her  to 
tell  me  one  story  of  Carabanchel,  and,  as  usual,  it  was 
against  herself. 

"As  I  could  neither  sing  nor  play,"  she  said,  "I  was 
told  to  walk  on  in  Norma,  carrying  the  little  child  whose 
presence  is  necessary  in  the  scene.  I  entered  with  the 
baby,  who  at  once  commenced  to  cry  loudly,  probably 
because  I  was  so  nervous  that  I  did  not  notice  that  I  was 
holding  it  head  downwards.  I  hurriedly  put  the  baby  on 
a  chair  and  rushed  off  the  stage.  I  was  never  asked  to 
do  anything  again.  So  now  you  know  all  about  my  career 
as  an  actress!"  l 

It  is  easy  to  see  from  the  letter  to  Stendhal  (Beyle) 
how  the  memories  of  Napoleon  survived  in  the  imagina- 
tion of  the  two  girls,  and  an  incident  in  their  life  now 
added  fresh  interest  to  this  feeling,  and  transformed  what 
had  been  a  cult  of  memories  into  a  romantic  reality.  It 
is  now  that  the  name  and  the  personality  of  Prince  Louis- 
Napoleon,  crowned  with  a  halo  of  suffering  and  perse- 
cution, comes  into  the  life  of  Eugenie,  and  at  this  period 
the  romance  of  Louis-Napoleon  and  Eugenie  de  Guzman 
first  begins. 

I  shall  relate  the  story  exactly  as  the  Empress  told  it 
to  me  at  Camden  Place  in  the  summer  of  1873,  some 
months  after  the  death  of  the  Emperor;  I  wrote  down 
her  account,  as  nearly  as  possible  in  her  own  words, 
directly  I  had  gained  the  sanctuary  of  my  own  room. 

1  The  Empress  commanded  a  performance  of  Les  Portraits  de  la  Marquise  at  the 
Tuileries.  The  remembrance  of  the  rehearsals  always  afforded  her  the  greatest  en- 
joyment, especially  when  Octave  Feuillet,  the  author  of  this  "bluette,"  talked  theatri- 
cal slang  to  the  actors,  and  told  the  jeune  premier  not  to  "sit  on  her."  He  also  said 
to  him,  "Why,  you're  snuffling  through  your  nose  (nasonner);  why  on  earth  arc  you 
snuffling  like  that?" 


19 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  ROMANCE  OF  LOUIS-NAPOLEON  AND  EUGENIE 
DE  GUZMAN— AFTER  THE  MARRIAGE 

I  WILL  let  the  Empress  relate  her  own  story: 
"We  often  used  to  take  the  waters  at  various 
health  resorts  in  the  Pyrenees,"  said  she,  "and  we  had 
many  friends  and  acquaintances  in  that  part  of  France. 
When  we  were  staying  at  Pau  we  saw  a  great  deal  of  the 
Marquise  de  Castelbajac,  mother  of  the  Marquis,1  with 
whom  you  are  acquainted,  and  one  evening  at  the  Mar- 
quise's an  artiste  named  Madame  Gordon  sang  to  us. 
We  knew  nothing  about  Madame  Gordon  beyond  the  fact 
that  she  had  taken  some  part  in  the  Strasburg  conspiracy 
three  or  four  years  previously,  but  this  was  quite  enough 
to  excite  our  keen  interest.  She  spoke  incessantly  of  'her 
prince '  whom  she  was  soon  about  to  visit  at  Ham, 
and  I  simply  drank  in  her  words.  I  leave  you  to 
imagine  my  feelings !  A  conspirator — a  prisoner — a  prince 
— a  Napoleon!  All  the  necessary  elements  of  romance 
were  at  hand.  I  dreamed  of  making  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
prison.  Carried  away  by  my  enthusiasm,  my  mother 
allowed  herself  to  become  a  convert  to  this  scheme,  and 
it  was  arranged  that  we  should  accompany  Madame 
Gordon  on  her  forthcoming  visit  to  Prince  Louis.  But 
just  then  a  revolution  took  place — which  one  I  cannot 
remember:  there  have  been  so  many  in  Spain!    We  were 

1  The  Marquis  de  Castelbajac,  Equerry  to  the  Emperor  until  1870.  He  was  one 
of  the  most  handsome  men  I  have  known.  His  respectful  loyalty  towards  his  sov- 
ereigns never  wavered. 

20 


First   Meeting   with    Prince    Louis 

obliged  to  return  to  Madrid,  and  our  plans  to  accompany 
Madame  Gordon  came  to  nothing.1 

"On  her  return  from  Ham,  Madame  Gordon  came  to 
see  us  in  Madrid,  and  everything  she  told  us  about  the 
Prince  stirred  my  sympathies.  You  must  remember  that 
the  soil  had  been  well  prepared  by  my  father's  recollec- 
tions and  by  M.  Beyle's  tales  of  the  great  Emperor. 

"The  Napoleonic  religion  was  in  my  blood,  and  I 
would  have  felt  it  an  easy  matter  to  lay  down  my  life  for 
the  heir  to  such  a  name. 

"After  the  revolution  of  February,  when  the  Prince 
was  elected  President,  we  were  presented  to  him  at  the 
Elysee  by  Bacciochi,  a  friend  of  my  mother's.  My  first 
words  to  him  were,  '  Monseigneur,  we  have  often  spoken 
about  you  to  a  lady  who  is  absolutely  devoted  to  your 
interests.' 

"  'And  pray  what  is  her  name?' 

"'Madame  Gordon.' 

"The  Prince  looked  at  me  rather  strangely.  He  knew, 
although  I  did  not,  what  role  Madame  Gordon  had 
played  before  she  was  accepted  by  the  most  exclusive  set 
in  society  as  a  great  artiste!  She  had  been  the  mistress 
of  Colonel  Vaudrey  at  the  time  of  the  Strasburg  con- 
spiracy, and  it  was  even  asserted  that  she  had  had  rela- 
tions with  the  Prince.2    But  this  is  absolutely  untrue. 

"Some  time  after  this  my  mother  and  I  were  invited 

1  It  is  well  known  that  Madame  Gordon  did  not  exaggerate  her  relations  with 
the  Prince  and  the  principal  members  of  the  Bonapartist  party.  She  was  instru- 
mental in  bringing  Louis-Napoleon  and  Louis  Blanc  together,  and  they  afterwards 
exchanged  letters  and  visits.  Louis  Blanc,  in  his  "History  of  the  Revolution  of  1848," 
which  is  hardly  history,  but  rather  an  autobiography  and  an  apologia,  relates  how, 
on  one  of  his  visits  to  Ham,  the  Prince,  after  taking  leave  of  him,  called  from  the 
top  of  the  staircase,  "Kiss  Mrs.  Gordon  for  me." 

1  The  Prince  denied  this  report  in  the  postscript  of  an  unpublished  letter  which 
I  have  seen. 

21 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

to  dine  at  Saint  Cloud.  When  we  arrived  at  the  palace 
we  found  carriages  waiting  to  take  us  to  Combleval,  a 
little  house  in  the  park,  halfway  between  Saint  Cloud 
and  Villeneuve.  We  were  in  full  evening  toilets,  as  we 
expected  to  meet  numerous  other  guests.  Imagine  our 
surprize  when  we  only  found  the  Prince-president  and 
Bacciochi! 

"When  we  rose  from  dinner  the  Prince  gave  me  his 
arm  and  proposed  a  'walk  in  the  park.'  It  was  in  summer- 
time, when  the  days  were  near  their  longest.  Bacciochi 
approached  my  mother  and  offered  himself  as  her  escort. 
But  I  was  before  him,  and  I  said  to  the  Prince,  'Mon- 
seigneur,  .  .  .  my  mother  is  here,'  and  I  stepped  aside 
to  let  him  see  that  the  honor  of  accepting  his  arm  was 
her  due.  The  Prince  offered  his  arm  to  my  mother  with- 
out saying  another  word,  and  I  took  that  of  Bacciochi. " 
At  the  memory  of  this  incident  the  Empress  smiled  mis- 
chievously. "I  don't  think  he  enjoyed  that  evening,"  she 
said;  and  continuing:  "My  sister  scolded  us  severely  the 
day  after  this  adventure,  and  it  was  deemed  advisable  for 
us  to  go  away  and  let  the  memory  of  our  imprudence  be 
forgotton  as  quickly  as  possible;  so,  if  I  remember  rightly, 
we  went  for  a  trip  to  the  Rhine  country. 

"Two  years  passed.  On  December  2,  1851,  when  the 
issue  of  the  struggle  then  raging  seemed  doubtful,  I 
wrote  to  Bacciochi  and  told  him  that  in  the  event  of  failure 
I  wished  to  place  all  I  had  in  the  world  at  the  Prince's 
disposal.  Bacciochi  kept  this  letter  in  his  pocket  and 
showed  it  to  the  Prince  when  all  danger  was  over.  It  was 
thus  that  our  relations  were  reestablished  on  a  different 
footing.  The  Prince  now  understood  us  much  better,  and 
the  memory  of  poor  Madame  Gordon  no  longer  com- 
promised us. 

22 


At    Fontainebleau 


"In  1 85 1  we  were  invited  to  the  great  hunting  parties 
at  Fontainebleau.  I  was  first  at  the  death,  and  I  received 
the  stag's  foot  from  the  Prince  himself.  General  Fleury — 
then  Major  Fleury — told  me  that  etiquet  demanded, 
as  I  had  the  stag's  foot,  I  should  enter  the  chateau  with 
the  Prince.  I  thought  this  was  a  simple  old  custom, 
of  no  more  importance  than  the  honors  paid  to  a  'Twelfth 
Night  Queen,'  but  I  was  mistaken;  and  this  triumphal 
entry  was  the  beginning  of  a  long  series  of  petty  calumnies 
and  jealousies.  It  was  at  Compiegne  that  the  Prince 
first  spoke  to  me  of  love,  but  I  treated  it  lightly — almost 
as  a  joke. 

"On  New  Year's  Day,  1852,  the  Empire  had  been  in 
existence  for  exactly  three  weeks.  My  mother  and  I  went 
to  the  first  official  reception,  and  we  curtsied  low  to  the 
new  Emperor.  Everyone  was  looking  at  me.  At  the  ball 
that  night,  or  the  next  night,1 1  met  Madame  Fortoul  just 
as  we  were  going  in  to  supper.  Madame  Fortoul  insulted 
me  publicly,  saying  in  a  loud  voice  that  she  wondered  I 
dared  presume  to  enter  a  room  before  her.  I  became 
very  pale,  but  I  drew  back,  saying  as  I  did  so,  'Pass, 
Madame.' 

"A  number  of  small  supper  tables  had  been  arranged 
in  the  Salle  des  Marechaux.  I  had  been  commanded  to 
sit  at  the  Imperial  table,  and  my  distress  did  not  escape 
the  Emperor's  notice.  He  rose  and  came  to  my  chair. 
Standing  behind  me,  he  bent  down  and  spoke  to  me. 

"  'What  is  the  matter?  "  he  said. 

"'Oh,  Sire — I  beg  you — do  not  ask  me  now — every- 
one is  watching  us,'  I  replied. 

"After  supper  the  Emperor  insisted  on  knowing  the 


1 1  reproduce  this  typical  uncertainty  about  dates. 
23 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

cause  of  the  trouble.  'I  will  know  the  truth.  What  has 
happened  to  you  ? '  he  demanded. 

" '  Sire,  I  have  been  insulted  to-night,  but  I  shall  not 
be  insulted  a  second  time,'  I  answered. 

"'To-morrow,'  said  the  Emperor,  'nobody  will  dare 
insult  you.' 

"No  sooner  did  we  reach  home  than  we  made  plans  for 
our  departure.  We  decided  to  go  to  Italy,  but  on  the 
morrow  my  mother  received  a  formal  proposal  of  mar- 
riage for  me  from  the  Emperor;  and  before  the  end  of 
this  same  month  of  January,"  concluded  the  Empress, 
"we  were  married  at  Notre  Dame." 

Madame  de  Montijo  had  been  responsible  for  the 
whole  matrimonial  campaign,  and  had  played  her  great 
game  with  a  boldness  which  the  rest  of  the  family  had 
stigmatized  as  dangerous,  and  indeed  was  so  in  the  high- 
est degree.  She  triumphed  for  the  moment,  but  some 
months  afterwards  she  left  Paris  suddenly  with  her  con- 
fidant and  friend  Merimee,  who,  I  believe,  traveled  with 
her  as  far  as  Tours,  and  heard  the  full  story  of  her  griev- 
ances. Her  son-in-law  had  made  it  absolutely  clear 
to  her  that  if  she  remained  in  France  she  would  be  treated 
merely  as  a  distinguished  foreigner.  I  have  found  traces 
of  her  disappointment  in  the  correspondence  between 
Merimee  and  Madame  de  Montijo,  as  all  her  letters 
written  to  him  at  this  time  are  full  of  epigrammatical 
remarks  about  the  Emperor,  whom  she  calls  "Monsieur 
Isidore." 

As  to  the  Empress,  I  greatly  doubt  if  she  contributed 

in  any  way  to  the  realization  of  her  exalted  state.     She 

let  herself  be  guided  by  circumstances,  and  I  think  she 

lived   in   a   kind  of  fairy  tale,   fascinated   more  by  the 

24 


Married    Life 


strangeness  of  her  destiny  than  by  any  vulgar  ambition. 
She  detested  politics  from  the  first  moment  that  she  under- 
stood them,  and  she  not  only  disliked  power  but  she  had 
no  desire  for  luxury.  I  once  heard  her  say  to  a  young 
girl  brought  up  in  wealthy  surroundings,  who  contem- 
plated marrying  a  poor  man,  "You  are  far  less  suited  to 
be  a  poor  man's  wife  than  I  was  at  your  age."  I  am  sure 
that  this  statement  was  true.  I  have  never  heard  the 
Empress  utter  a  falsehood. 

For  many  years  *  the  intimacy  between  the  Emperor 
and  the  Empress  ought  to  have  been  as  close  and  tender 
as  it  should  be  when  a  man  and  woman  marry  for  love. 
Was  it  indeed  love,  and  was  it  reciprocal  ?  Nearly  twenty 
years  separated  them,  and  such  a  gulf  is  not  easily  bridged 
even  by  those  women  who  seem  especially  designed  by 
nature  to  love  men  much  older  than  themselves.  I 
do  not  believe  that  the  Empress  was  one  of  these  women. 
Her  feeling  for  the  Emperor  was  probably  less  than 
passionate  affection,  but  deeper  than  friendship,  and  grew 
steadily  in  intensity  until  the  fatal  day  when  she  discov- 
ered her  husband's  unfaithfulness. 

Prince  Louis-Napoleon  had  known  love  many  times 
in  his  life  before  he  met  Eugenie  de  Guzman,  and  he 
still  preserved,  at  the  age  of  fifty,  some  of  those  qualities 
which  endear  men  to  women,  particularly  that  quiet, 
sympathetic  manner  and  an  almost  feminine  sweetness  of 
gesture  and  speech  which  constitute  so  great  a  charm  in 
a  strong  man.  A  keen  but  kindly  observer,  he  understood 
woman,  and  loved  her  in  her  varying  moods  of  impatience, 
nerves  and  weakness,  which  to  him  were  added  graces. 

1  The  Empress  was  always  quite  willing  to  talk  about  the  period  preceding  her 
marriage,  but  she  never  mentioned  to  me  the  years  that  followed,  nor  was  it  to  be 
expected  that  she  would. 

25 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

The  Empress  easily  discovered  the  existence  of  this 
rather  weak  kindness  of  heart,  but  it  was  not  this  rather 
doubtful  quality  which  retained  her  affection.  What  en- 
deared the  Emperor  to  her  was  her  unfailing  belief  that 
he  invariably  acted  honestly.  This  honesty,  this  essential 
unity  of  outlook  and  thought,  was  in  her  opinion  the  key 
to  a  character  which  many  have  considered  a  moral 
enigma.  In  one  of  our  last  conversations,  when  we  were 
discussing  a  book  on  Napoleon  III  which  was  about  to  be 
written  by  a  celebrated  historian,  she  insisted  upon  this 
very  point.  "Tell  him  that  if  he  does  not  admit  that  sin- 
cerity was  the  Emperor's  greatest  virtue  he  will  have  failed 
to  understand  him."  And  it  must  be  clearly  understood 
that  sincerity  was,  in  the  eyes  of  the  Empress,  the  first  of 
all  the  virtues,  without  which  the  others  could  not  exist. 

She  always  maintained  towards  the  Emperor  an  atti- 
tude of  respect.  In  spite  of  his  habit  of  calling  her 
"Eugenie"  and  addressing  her  as  "tu,"  I  never  heard 
the  Empress  use  the  familiar  "tu"  or  call  the  Emperor 
"Louis."  We  know,  however,  that  she  did  use  this  mode 
of  address  when  they  were  alone  together  and  in  their 
private  correspondence;  this  has  been  revealed  by  the 
letters  written  by  her  from  Egypt  and  published  after 
1 87 1  by  the  Commission  which  dealt  with  the  papers 
found  at  the  Tuileries. 

One  day,  and  one  day  only,  she  omitted  to  show  the 
Emperor  that  marked  respect  from  which  she  never 
deviated,  and  I  find  that  I  have  written  down  the  par- 
ticulars of  this  strange  scene  in  my  diary  exactly  as  it 
took  place  less  than  four  months  after  my  admission  into 
the  household. 

In  November,  1867,  widespread  anxiety  prevailed  on 

the  day  of  the  opening  of  Parliament.     One  word  from 

26 


Indisposition   of  Prince   Imperial 

the  Emperor  on  this  fateful  occasion  would  alarm  the 
public  as  to  the  possibility  of  war,  or  reassure  it  as  to  the 
certainty  of  peace. 

It  was  absolutely  necessary  that  the  Prince  Imperial 
should  be  present  at  this  ceremony  in  order  to  silence 
the  malicious  gossip  which  represented  him  as  being  a 
cripple  or  a  hopeless  invalid  since  his  recent  illness.  What 
would  happen  to  France  if  this  only  hope  of  the  dynasty 
were  lost?  Most  assuredly  his  absence  on  that  day 
would  have  brought  about  a  collapse  on  the  Bourse. 
The  Emperor's  speech,  the  public  appearance  of  the 
Prince,  constituted  the  two  chief  interests  of  the  day. 
The  great  square  of  the  Carrousel  was  black  with  spec- 
tators, and  all  the  most  important  public  bodies  were 
already  waiting  in  the  Salle  des  Etats.  At  this  moment 
on  the  ground  floor  of  the  Tuileries,  in  the  low-ceilinged 
and  overheated  suite  sacred  to  the  Emperor  and  looking 
out  on  the  gardens,  six  persons  were  gathered,  of  whom 
several  were  speaking  at  the  same  time  in  a  heated  tone. 
These  persons  were  the  Emperor,  the  Empress,  the  Prince 
Imperial,  his  tutor,  Miss  Shaw  (his  English  nurse)  and 
Baron  Corvisart. 

The  Prince,  who  was  drest  for  the  occasion  in  a 
black  velvet  suit,  red  silk  stockings  and  the  Grand  Order 
of  the  Legion  d'Honneur,  had  been  suddenly  taken  ill 
during  luncheon  and  had  abruptly  left  the  room,  followed 
by  myself,  and  Miss  Shaw  had  presently  joined  us  both 
in  the  Emperor's  study.  There  he  lay,  in  a  fainting 
condition  and  deadly  pale,  in  the  arms  of  the  Empress, 
who,  like  the  Emperor,  was  wearing  full  State  robes,  and 
Corvisart,  who  had  been  summoned  in  haste,  had  just 
arrived.  The  shock  and  consternation  were  great.  What 
could  have  caused  this  sudden  indisposition?    Miss  Shaw, 

27 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

who  completely  lost  her  head,  told  the  Emperor  that  the 
previous  evening  the  little  Prince  had  received  a  violent 
blow  from  one  of  his  playfellows.  "It  is  the  fault  of 
M.  Corvisart;  he  will  excite  them,"  she  said. 

"Is  this  true?"  said  the  Empress  to  me. 

"I  was  not  there,"  I  replied.  (I  had  received  per- 
mission to  consider  every  Sunday  at  my  own  disposal.) 
"But  I  have  always  noticed  that  the  Prince's  playfellows 
show  thought  and  care  beyond  their  years  when  they  are 
fighting  their  mimic  battles.  The  Prince  is  suffering  from 
nothing  more  or  less  than  a  bilious  attack." 

The  Emperor  had  not  heard  my  words.  He  was  up- 
braiding Corvisart  most  severely.  I  have  never  seen 
him  in  a  temper  except  on  that  day. 

"You  are  stupid,"  exclaimed  the  Empress.  "You 
must  make  sure  of  the  facts  before  getting  angry.  Miss 
Shaw  is  talking  nonsense." 

At  that  moment,  as  if  to  prove  the  truth  of  my  diag- 
nosis, the  Prince  became  violently  sick;  and  although 
the  patient  was  heir  to  a  throne,  and  although  the  porce- 
lain basin  was  held  by  the  Empress  and  was  ornamented 
with  crowned  golden  eagles,  the  process  was  the  same 
in  a  palace  as  in  a  hospital,  lacking  none  of  the  usual 
unpleasant  and  painful  details.  But  to  our  great  relief 
the  child,  who  now  seemed  completely  recovered,  said 
he  was  quite  able  to  go  with  his  parents,  and  we  all  set 
to  work  with  a  will  to  wipe  his  face,  brush  his  clothes, 
and  repair  the  general  disorder  of  his  array.  I  then 
placed  the  Prince  in  a  roller  chair  and  pushed  him  across 
the  unfinished  rooms  of  the  Tuileries,  then  along  the  great 
"galerie  du  bord  de  l'eau,"  until  we  reached  the  entrance 
to  the  Salle  des  Stats.  I  remained  in  the  galerie  com- 
pletely hidden  by  an  immense  curtain  which  hung  behind 

28 


Husband   and   Wife 


the  throne,  and  from  my  coign  of  vantage  I  heard  the 
voice  of  the  Emperor.  His  calm,  clear  and  strong  accents 
rose  and  fell  in  such  a  deep  and  religious  hush  that  I 
could  have  easily  imagined  that  the  Emperor  was  speaking 
in  an  empty  room.  Yet  all  Europe  was  listening!  Could 
this  be  the  same  man  to  whom,  barely  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  ago,  a  woman  had  said,  "You  are  stupid!" 

This  tragi-comedy  which  I  have  exhumed  after  so 
many  years  will  perhaps  amuse  those  who  like  to  see  the 
rulers  of  this  world  in  somewhat  ridiculous  attitudes  and 
to  convince  themselves  that  the  great  can  sometimes  be 
small.  It  is  this  sort  of  pleasure  that  one  looks  for  in  the 
pages  of  the  Due  de  Saint-Simon.  But  my  readers  will 
be  wrong  if  they  imagine  that  this  story  throws  a  new 
light  upon  the  relations  which  existed  between  husband 
and  wife.  I  repeat  most  emphatically  that  this  was  the 
only  time  that  I  saw  the  Empress  depart  from  her  habitual 
deference  to  the  Emperor. 

She  often  addrest  him  in  the  third  person,  as  was 
our  custom,  and  cherished  in  her  heart  the  same  unvarying 
respect  for  his  intelligence  and  character.  The  unhappy 
Prince  Charming  who  had  fired  Eugenie's  youthful 
imagination  as  the  hero  of  her  early  romance  had  long 
since  disappeared,  but  in  his  place  she  saw  a  great  and 
honest  man  who  wanted  to  do  good  and  who  pursued  this 
aim — sometimes  by  a  roundabout  path  when  the  straight 
road  was  not  possible.  Under  a  mask  of  indifference 
Napoleon  III  suffered  greatly  from  the  thousand  calum- 
nies which  assailed  him,  and  the  Empress  realized  that  her 
duty  was  to  sustain  him,  encourage  him,  and  bind  up 
those  hidden  wounds  which  bled  for  her  alone.  Never 
woman    accepted    a    mission    with    more    magnanimous 

resolution  or  more  indefatigable  energy. 

29 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

His  affection  for  her  had  also  undergone  a  change. 
In  the  early  days  he  had  loved  and  desired  her  passion- 
ately for  her  eyes,  her  smile,  her  exquisite  grace,  for  the 
indescribable  fascination  which  radiated  from  her  and 
made  her  as  one  apart,  but  when  this  passion  and  desire 
were  satisfied  he  was  ever  discovering  in  her  soul  unsus- 
pected depths  of  moral  beauty.  Each  day  he  respected 
and  admired  her  more  and  more,  until  at  last,  without  ac- 
knowledging it  to  her,  or  even  perhaps  to  himself,  he  came 
to  regard  her  as  his  second  conscience;  and — may  I  say 
without  offense  to  a  venerated  memory — the  Emperor's 
second  conscience  was  often  better  and  more  reliable  than 
his  first.  But  why  conjectures  and  guesses?  In  confirma- 
tion of  my  statement  it  will  suffice  to  read  the  Emperor's 
pen  portrait  of  the  Empress  which  appeared  in  the  Dix- 
Decembre:1 

"The  Comtesse  de  Teba  has  not  disappeared  in  the 
splendor  of  the  Crown  of  France.  The  Empress  still 
remains  a  woman  of  simple  and  natural  tastes.  After  her 
visit  to  those  stricken  with  cholera  at  Amiens  the  chorus 
of  approval  which  came  from  every  quarter  in  praise  of 
her  courageous  initiative  caused  her  nothing  but  surprize 
and  was  at  last  supremely  distasteful  to  her.2  The  lot 
of  the  suffering  community  always  excites  her  sympathy, 
and  she  loves  to  occupy  herself  with  all  kinds  of  social 

1  The  article  appeared  in  the  first  number  of  this  paper  (November  15,  1868)  under 
the  following  signature:  "For  the  Editor  of  the  Dix-D6cembre.  A.  Grenier."  But 
everyone  knew  who  was  the  actual  writer. 

2  The  Empress  once  said  to  my  wife  at  Farnborough,  "I  really  did  nothing  wonder- 
ful when  I  went  to  see  those  suffering  with  cholera  at  Amiens.  /  knew  that  I  should 
never  be  attacked  by  cholera.  But  I  was  dreadfully  frightened  when  I  went  to  the 
house  of  M.  de  Girardin,  whose  little  girl  was  dying  of  diphtheria,  and  I  got  no  thanks 
for  my  action,  which  passed  entirely  unnoticed.  It  was  looked  upon  solely  as  an 
attempt  to  win  over  a  political  enemy.     Yet  it  cost  me  a  big  effort." 

30 


The   Empress   described   by   the   Emperor 

work.  We  know  what  an  active  part  she  has  taken  in  the 
reorganization  of  children's  reformatories,  in  rescue  work, 
and  in  the  methods  of  charity  institutions.  To  her  is 
due  the  foundation  of  the  'Societe  des  prets  de  l'enfance 
au  travail.'  How  many  generous  reforms  she  still  pursues 
with  marvelous  perseverance!  One  still  recognizes  a 
little  of  the  £juene  phalansterienne'  *  in  her.  The  welfare 
of  women  is  one  of  her  special  objects;  she  aims  at  im- 
proving their  condition  and  has  obtained  for  Rosa  Bon- 
heur 2  the  public  recognition  of  a  decoration. 

"Twice,  once  during  the  war  with  Italy,  and  once  when 
the  Emperor  visited  Algiers,  she  has  acted  as  Regent. 
We  know  what  moderation,  what  political  tact,  and  what 
sense  of  justice  she  then  displayed. 

"During  her  leisure  hours  the  Empress  engages  in 
serious  reading.  No  economic  or  financial  question  is 
beyond  her,  and  it  is  charming  to  listen  to  her  discussing 
these  recondite  problems  with  experts.  Literature,  history 
and  art  are  common  topics  of  conversation  with  her,  and 
the  Empress's  tea-parties  are  one  of  the  greatest  delights 
of  Compiegne.  On  these  occasions  she  handles  with  equal 
ease  the  most  homely  subjects  and  the  loftiest  themes; 
the  novelty  of  her  outlook,  the  daring,  almost  the  temer- 
ity, of  her  views,  alike  impress  and  enthral  her  listeners. 
Although  her  mode  of  expression  is  occasionally  faulty, 
it  is  full  of  color  and  vivacity;  she  displays  wonderful 
precision  when  she  talks  on  business  matters,  and  she 
rises  to  real  heights  of  eloquence  on  those  subjects  which 
touch  moral  and  political  questions. 

*This  was  the  nickname  given  to  the  Empress  by  her  friends  in  Madrid,  when 
they  saw  her  deep  in  the  writings  of  Fourier,  and  heard  her  express  the  most  ad- 
vanced ideas  on  social  and  political  questions. 

*  The  well-known  painter  (Translator's  Note). 

31 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

"Religious  without  bigotry,  learned  without  pedantry, 
she  talks  very  freely  on  every  topic.  Perhaps  she  is  a 
little  too  fond  of  argument.  Possessing  an  impulsive 
temperament,  she  sometimes  lets  her  tongue  run  away 
with  her,  and  thereby  she  has  more  than  once  made 
enemies ;  but  even  her  exaggerations  spring  from  her  wish 
to  do  good." 

Why  could  not  the  Emperor  have  remained  faithful 
to  a  woman  so  greatly  admired  and  so  much  beloved? 
Why  did  he  outrage  her  feelings  for  many  years,  not 
only  by  his  sensual  caprices,  which  knew  no  morrow,  but 
by  his  more  lasting  liaisons  with  certain  women  who 
openly  boasted  that  they  not  only  swayed  his  senses  but 
also  owned  his  heart  and  influenced  his  mind  ?  How  can 
one  reconcile  these  infidelities  with  the  ever-increasing 
moral  influence  of  the  Empress  ?  Many  people  have  asked 
the  same  question. 

One  day  the  Empress  asked  herself  this  very  question 
in  my  presence — put  it  to  me,  practically,  in  the  course 
of  the  most  soul-stirring  interview  I  ever  had  with  her. 

This  conversation  took  place  rather  late  in  the  lives 
of  both  of  us.  It  is  easy  to  understand  that  she  never 
cared  to  mention  this  subject  to  me  when  I  was  younger, 
and  only  exceptional  circumstances  now  made  her  do  so. 
Of  course  I  had  heard  any  amount  of  gossip  about  the 
scenes  which  took  place  in  the  Imperial  menage  when 
the  Empress  was  first  made  aware  of  her  husband's 
unfaithfulness.  But  as  I  do  not  wish  to  alter  my.decision 
only  to  relate  what  the  Empress  actually  said,  and  to 
set  down  my  own  personal  recollections  of  her,  I  will  not 
repeat  any  of  these  stories  in  which  the  false  mixes  with 
the  true  to  such  an  extent  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to 
distinguish  one  from  the  other. 

32 


An   Incident   at   Farnborough 

Several  years  ago  one  of  my  friends  wrote  a  book  on 
the  character,  personality  and  habits  of  Napoleon  III. 
This  work  possest  all  the  qualities  which  make  for 
success,  as  the  writer  had  known  the  Emperor  well  during 
the  last  years  of  his  life,  while  the  Empress,  who  liked  my 
friend  both  as  a  man  and  a  writer,  had  assisted  him  in 
every  possible  way. 

It  was  impossible  for  my  friend  to  appear  ignorant  of 
his  late  sovereign's  illicit  amours,  and  he  felt  that  he  had 
to  make  some  reference  to  them.  Fearing  to  wound  the 
Empress,  however,  he  wished  to  make  sure,  before  the 
publication  of  the  book,  that  his  words  had  not  exceeded 
the  limits  of  propriety,  and  he  entrusted  me  with  the 
excessively  delicate  mission  of  sounding  her  on  the  subject. 
I  accepted  somewhat  rashly  this  thankless  task,  and  from 
it  originated  the  conversation  which  I  am  now  about  to 
record. 

It  took  place  at  Farnborough,  in  the  Empress's  boudoir. 
She  was  sitting  on  a  couch  in  front  of  one  of  the  large 
windows  which  normally  flood  this  room  with  light, 
but  that  day  its  blinds  were  lowered  almost  to  the  edge 
of  the  carpet. 

The  Empress  seemed  agitated,  nervous,  and,  to  be 
plain,  somewhat  shocked  at  my  request,  and  I  could  not 
help  feeling  that  she  was  right  to  resent  it.  She  talked  at 
first  in  a  rather  disconnected  manner,  breaking  off  in  the 
middle  of  her  sentences  and  leaving  them  unfinished,  a 
sure  sign  that  she  was  distrest.  My  friend  had  relied  on 
the  statements  of  a  lady  whom  the  Empress  had  once 
honored  with  her  friendship,  and  who  was  supposed  to 
have  been  the  recipient  of  her  heart-to-heart  confidences. 

"She  knows  nothing,"  said  the  Empress.  "She  has 
simply  quoted  from  the  newspapers  of  the  time.    I  never 

33 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

told  her  anything  intimate."  Then,  looking  at  my  friend's 
book,  she  ridiculed  the  idea  that  the  Emperor,  when  well 
over  fifty,  could  not  have  resisted  the  sensual  temptations 
with  which  he  was  surrounded.  "Nonsense — nonsense; 
nobody  will  ever  believe  such  a  thing!" 

Her  irritation  first  exhausted  itself  in  bitterness.  Then 
she  passed  into  a  kind  of  reverie,  and  bending  her  head, 
she  seemed  to  be  studying  the  flowers  woven  in  the  pat- 
tern of  the  carpet.  She  repeated  sadly:  "But — why? — 
why?" 

Abruptly  she  turned  towards  me.  "Do  you  under- 
stand why?" 

My  feelings  at  being  asked  such  a  question  unexpect- 
edly can  well  be  imagined.  I  stammered  something 
foolish  about  the  animalism  which  exists  in  man  and 
which  sometimes  exacts  its  toll  even  from  higher  natures. 

The  Empress  shook  her  head.  She  had  not  seriously 
considered  these  passing  sensualities;  these  were  not  the 
actions  which  had  caused  her  the  greatest  mortification. 

"No,"  she  answered.  "I  think  that  when  a  man 
breaks  away  and  seeks  other  women  he  is  impelled  by 
boredom  and  curiosity — boredom  with  that  which  is 
identified  with  his  own  personality,  and  curiosity  to  know 
a  fresh  mind  or  fresh  moods.  Listen!  The  Princess" 
(she  always  spoke  of  Princess  Beatrice  as  "the  Princess") 
"once  told  me  something  which  was  very  true.  'My 
mother,'  said  the  Princess,  'finds  me  less  entertaining 
than  my  sisters.  The  reason  is  obvious:  they  bring  her 
news  and  impressions  from  outside.  But  what  can  I  do? 
All  my  ideas  and  impressions  have  been  either  derived 
from,  or  shared  with,  my  mother.'  Very  well,"  said  the 
Empress,  "what  holds  good  of  mother  and  daughter 
must  also  hold  good  of  husband  and  wife.    It's  the  same- 

34 


A   Crisis 

ness,  that  fatal  sameness i — in  fact  what  we  call  monotony. 
One  gets  so  used  to  acting  and  speaking  and  thinking 
together  that  at  last  neither  interests  the  other.  So  .  .  . 
man  roams!" 

"But  only  for  a  time,"  I  answered.  "He  eventually 
returns,  brought  back  by  sorrow  or  trials  to  the  only  one 
who  has  really  understood  him  and  loved  him."  I  re- 
minded the  Empress  of  that  article  in  the  Dix-Decembre, 
of  which  I  have  given  extracts;  I  reminded  her  of  what 
she  herself  had  told  me:  how  Napoleon  III  carried  one 
of  her  letters  next  to  his  heart  as  a  talisman,2  and  I  added, 
"The  Emperor  never  for  an  instant  ceased  to  love  your 
Majesty." 

And  she  answered,  quite  simply,  "Yes,  I  believe  that." 

Our  conversation  closed  on  that,  which  was  indeed  her 
final  word  touching  that  great  crisis  of  her  life.  But  her 
love  for  the  Emperor  was  destined  to  experience  another 
short  but  terrible  trial.  One  word  explains  it — Sedan — 
and  the  results  of  this  second  crisis  will  be  seen  later. 
The  first  blow  temporarily  separated  husband  and  wife. 
The  second  reunited  them — for  ever,  if  I  may  use  such 
a  word  of  the  few  months  of  sorrow  and  humiliation  which 
they  lived  together  in  the  house  of  exile. 

There  has  never  been  the  slightest  whisper  of  scandal 
concerning  the  Empress.  Her  constancy  and  wifely 
virtue  were  always  above  suspicion.     Yet  why  should  I 

1  The  Empress  actually  used  the  English  word  (Translator's  Note). 

2  In  the  autumn  of  1873,  a  few  months  after  the  Emperor's  death,  the  Empress 
showed  me  a  yellow  leather  pocket-book  which  Napoleon  III  constantly  carried 
about  with  him.  This  pocket-book  contained,  in  addition  to  a  letter  from  the  Em- 
press Eugenie,  a  letter  of  Napoleon  I,  in  which  he  congratulated  Queen  Hortcnsc 
on  the  birth  of  her  son,  the  last  letter  written  by  Queen  Hortense  to  her  son,  a  lock  of 
the  Prince  Imperial's  hair  when  a  baby,  some  written  forms  of  prayer  sent  him  by 
poor,  unknown  women,  and  a  wad  of  bank-notes,  from  which  he  dispensed  his  daily 
charities. 

35 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

disguise  the  fact  that  she  entertained  towards  the  men 
who  worshiped  her — and  Heaven  knows  they  were  many 
— a  very  gentle  feeling  wherein  curiosity,  forgiveness  and 
pity  were  mingled?  And  if  any  virtuous  woman  exists 
who  can  affirm  that  she  has  never  given  a  single  kind 
thought  to  the  men  who  have  loved  her,  let  this  rare 
example  be  the  first  to  condemn  the  Empress. 

The  Empress's  adorers  were  legion,  and  they  were 
representative  of  all  ranks,  nationalities  and  characters. 
Lord  Rosebery  once  told  me  a  romantic  story  of  a  young 
English  peer  who  loved  Eugenie  and  wished  to  marry 
her.  Merimee,  in  an  unpublished  letter,  mentioned  the 
fate  of  a  young  Spaniard  whom  love  for  the  Empress 
had  well-nigh  deprived  of  reason,  and  who  wandered  about 
the  world,  sick  of  everything  and  of  himself  most  of  all. 
It  is  an  open  secret  that  the  unfortunate  young  Count 
Bacciochi  killed  himself  in  order  to  escape  from  the  con- 
suming tortures  of  his  wild  passion.  The  Prussian 
Minister,  Count  de  Goltz,  was  another  of  her  victims,  and 
the  Empress  was  aware  of  it  and  always  referred  to  him 
as  "my  poor  Goltz!"  When  a  cruel  disease  threatened 
the  Count's  life,  she  insisted  on  his  removal  to  the  lodge 
of  Henry  IV,  situated  in  the  park  at  Fontainebleau, 
close  to  the  palace,  so  that  he  might  have  better  atten- 
dance and  comfort.  One  summer's  evening  we  were 
sitting  by  the  lake  in  front  of  the  Chinese  Drawing-room, 
when  a  shadow — for  it  was  more  a  shadow  than  a  man — 
appeared  in  our  midst.  It  was  the  Comte  de  Goltz.  The 
Empress,  greatly  agitated,  welcomed  him  with  the  utmost 
kindness.  The  poor  man's  tongue,  indeed,  failed  him,  but 
his  eyes  thanked  her  with  the  look  of  dumb  devotion  of  a 
faithful  dog. 

Another  foreign  diplomat,  the  Count  de  Beust,  who 

36 


The   Empress's   Worshipers 


was  at  first  in  the  service  of  the  King  of  Saxony,  and  who 
afterwards  directed  for  some  time  the  policy  of  Austria, 
was  one  of  the  last  to  add  his  name  to  the  list  of  those 
hopeless  worshipers.  When  he  became  Ambassador  to 
England  he  used  often  to  send  her  little  flattering,  alle- 
gorical poems  such  as  Kaunitz  might  have  written  to 
his  Marquise  of  Marquises,  and  one  day  the  Empress 
showed  me  a  mythological  quatrain,  and  requested  me  to 
answer  it  on  her  behalf  in  the  same  language.  But,  let 
me  confess  it  .  .  .  my  imagination  would  not  rise  to  a 
single  line! 

Two  men  in  the  Empress's  own  entourage  were  also  in 
love  with  her.  One  was  a  great  gray-haired  baby,  bois- 
terous and  harmless,  who  would  gaze  at  her  for  hours 
with  eyes  of  dreamy  and  sentimental  adoration.  The 
other  was  a  highly-strung  eccentric  creature  who,  in  spite 
of  his  great  name,  always  seemed  more  of  an  artist  than  an 
aristocrat — in  fact  he  had  won  real  recognition  as  a 
sculptor  at  the  exhibitions.  One  evening,  when  he  was 
lighting  the  Empress  to  her  rooms,  he  suddenly  lost  his 
head  and  fell  on  his  knees  before  her,  candlestick  in 
hand,  in  the  attitude  of  one  who  sees  a  spirit  from  another 
world.  A  lady  who  witnessed  the  incident  related  it  to 
me  years  afterwards  at  Chislehurst,  in  the  presence  of  the 
Empress,  who  merely  smiled.  She  had  never  harbored 
the  least  resentment  against  him  on  account  of  his  foolish 
action. 

My  own  teacher,  Caro,  the  celebrated  professor,  takes 
his  place  in  this  army  of  martyrs.  The  Empress  first  met 
him  at  Compiegne  and  afterwards  amused  herself  by 
indulging  in  a  harmless  flirtation  with  him  at  a  masked 
ball.  The  mind  of  the  philosopher  was  in  consequence 
excessively  disturbed,  and  he  has  left  us,  as  a  memorial  of 

37 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

his  tender  feelings,  a  pen-portrait  of  the  Empress  upon 
which  he  lavished  his  subtle  knowledge  of  psychology 
and  his  consummate  art  as  a  writer.  The  portrait  is 
charming  as  a  portrait,  but  one  fails  to  discover  in  it  the 
real  Eugenie. 

I  wonder  if  it  is  permissible  for  me  to  add  the  name  of 
another  Academician,  Octave  Feuillet,  to  this  list?  At 
present  it  seems  the  prevailing  fashion  to  belittle  the 
man  and  his  works;  the  latter  I  am  not  here  concerned 
to  defend,  but  I  am  simply  recalling  Feuillet  as  his  friends 
knew  him,  a  sensitive  being  who  detested  vulgarity  and 
who  preserved  in  a  sensual  and  cynical  theatrical  atmos- 
phere, an  unsullied  virginity  of  soul  which  I  am  sure  was 
peculiar  to  himself  in  that  circle.  In  Feuillet's  letters  to 
his  wife,  written  at  Fontainebleau  in  1868, 1  trace  the  deep 
and  ardent  sympathy  which  existed  between  the  two 
most  sincere  idealists  of  their  day;  he  saw  and  admired 
in  the  Empress  his  most  exquisite  dreams  realized  in  a 
perfect  and  beautiful  form. 

Charles  Edmond,  formerly  private  secretary  to  Prince 
Jerome  Napoleon,  has  revealed  to  the  public  the  reason 
for  the  strange  and  persistent  dislike  which  the  Prince 
manifested  towards  the  Empress  for  so  many  years.  This 
dislike  originated  in  a  sentiment  of  a  quite  opposite  kind, 
which  had  perforce  to  remain  unexprest.  A  conversa- 
tion I  once  had  with  the  Prince  has  left  no  doubt  in  my 
mind  on  the  matter:  one  could  feel  in  every  word  the 
bitterness  of  unrequited  love  turned  to  resentment  and 
hatred.  Jerome  Napoleon  was  the  victim  of  his  destiny. 
It  was  as  if  some  wicked  fairy  who  had  not  been  invited 
to  his  christening  had  revenged  herself  by  saying  to  him: 
"All  the  wonderful  gifts  which  my  sisters  have  bestowed 
on  you  are  worthless  because  your  life  and  your  powers 

38  ' 


An    Episode 

will  be  spent  in  vainly  desiring  all  the  things  that  your 
cousin  will  possess." 

One  autumn  evening  at  Saint  Cloud,  in  1867,  Charles 
Duperre,  then  aide-de-camp  in  attendance,  presented  to 
the  Prince  Imperial  a  former  officer  of  the  Household  who 
was  desirous  of  bidding  him  farewell  before  leaving 
France  on  a  distant  mission,  and  during  the  course  of  the 
conversation  I  gathered  that  this  gentleman  had  also  just 
taken  leave  of  the  Empress. 

Monsieur  D.  was  a  man  of  about  forty;  I  was  struck 
by  his  singularly  piercing  glance,  his  broad  and  intelligent 
forehead,  with  the  hair  brushed  back,  his  clear-cut  fea- 
tures, and  his  slightly  passionate,  imperious  expression. 
He  spoke  but  little,  yet  something  compelling  and  unusual 
in  the  controlled  utterance  of  his  deep,  rather  hollow  voice, 
combined  with  the  complete  immobility  of  his  demeanor, 
gave  me  the  impression  of  some  tragic  suffering  hidden 
away  under  the  outward  commonplaces  of  ordinary 
intercourse. 

"Who  is  this  man?"  I  asked  Commander  Duperre 
when  the  door  had  closed  on  the  visitor. 

"He  is  an  unfortunate  man  who  is  madly  in  love  with 
the  Empress  and  who  is  being  sent  away  to  die  at  the 
other  end  of  the  world!" 

This  tragic  forecast  was,  alas!  realized.  When  the 
news  came,  the  Empress  went  at  once  to  see  his  mother, 
who  lived  in  one  of  the  towns  on  the  banks  of  the  Loire. 
The  two  women  mingled  their  tears  together,  and  the 
Empress  never  forgot  the  man  who  paid  so  dearly  for  the 
crime  of  having  adored  her. 

The  Empress  was  also  worshiped  by  unknown  lovers, 
many  of  humble  condition,  many  even  who  were  open 
enemies  of  the  Empire.    From  time  to  time  these  unknown 

39 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

lovers  have  betrayed  the  existence  of  their  hopeless 
passion,  and  after  the  revolution  of  September  4  I  re- 
member reading  in  a  Belgian  newspaper  a  feuilleton 
in  which  the  Empress  figured  in  the  most  impossible 
intrigue.  The  author  described  her  in  such  glowing 
colors  as  to  leave  no  doubt  about  his  own  feelings.  The 
writer  was  no  other  than  a  former  leading  Communist 
and,  so  report  says,  a  veritable  Caliban. 

A  propos  of  these  unknown  adorers,  I  remember  that 
during  the  period  when  I  was  a  student  of  the  Ecole 
Normale  I  occasionally  met  a  very  curious  young  man  on 
Thursdays  and  Sundays  at  the  Cafe  du  Droit,  then 
situated  at  the  corner  of  the  Rue  Soumot  and  the  Rue 
Saint  Jacques.  I  believe  that  this  odd  youth  was  a 
member  of  some  secret  societies  which  conspired  against 
the  life  of  Napoleon  III,  but  notwithstanding  his  hatred 
of  the  dynasty,  he  was  madly  in  love  with  the  Empress ! 

One  evening  in  1867,  at  Saint  Cloud,  I  happened  for 
some  forgotten  reason  to  mention  this  incident  in  the 
presence  of  the  Empress,  who  at  once  thought  that  she 
identified  my  conspirator  as  the  same  person  who  had  once 
tried  to  force  his  way  through  the  gate  opposite  the 
Solferino  Bridge  in  an  endeavor  to  speak  to  her  as  she 
walked  on  the  terrace  facing  the  river.  The  man  was 
arrested,  and  an  ardent  love  letter  to  the  Empress  was 
found  in  his  possession. 

I  had  been  foolish  enough  to  describe  the  youth  of 
the  cafe  as  "one  of  my  friends"  ...  a  fatal  mistake,  as 
the  Empress  instantly  overwhelmed  me  with  questions 
concerning  him,  and  I  had  not  sufficient  moral  courage 
to  admit  that  I  hardly  knew  him!  So  I  had  to  .  .  .  let 
us  say  .  .  .  romance;  and  I  was  already  deeply  immersed 
in  the  waters  of  invention  when  the  hour  for  the  Prince's 

40 


Romance   and    Romancing 


bedtime  arrived.  I  rose  at  once,  greatly  relieved  at  this 
chance  of  escape;  but  the  Empress  turned  to  me.  "Now 
be  sure  to  come  back;  I  want  to  hear  everything"  she 
cried. 

When  I  returned  most  unwillingly  at  the  end  of  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  I  found  the  Empress  waiting  for  me 
alone  in  the  first  drawing-room.  She  at  once  settled  me 
comfortably  in  an  armchair  in  the  evident  expectation  of 
a  long  and  interesting  story. 

So  I  had  to  tell  my  tale,  and  the  Empress  listened 
to  me  spellbound.  When  I  occasionally  paused  in  sheer 
perplexity  I  could  hear  the  subdued  hum  of  voices  in  the 
adjoining  room  and  the  murmur  of  the  fountain  as  it 
fell  in  diamond  drops  into  the  great  horse-shoe  basin 
immediately  underneath  the  windows. 

But  the  Empress  gave  me  no  rest.  No  sooner  did  I 
pause  than  she  exclaimed,  "Well?  .  .  .  what  happened 
then?  What  else  did  he  say  to  you?"  And  I  had  to 
continue  my  fairy-tale,  which  I  now  regard  as  my  best 
attempt  at  fiction — at  any  rate,  as  the  one  which  appealed 
most  successfully  to  its  public! 

From  time  to  time  various  members  of  the  entourage, 
in  whose  faces  surprize  and  disappointment  struggled  to 
displace  the  smiling  mask  of  the  courtier,  appeared  for  an 
instant  on  the  threshold  of  the  little  drawing-room,  and 
then  vanished.  Heaven  only  knows  at  what  hour  tea 
would  have  been  served  that  evening  had  I  not,  punctually 
at  eleven,  closed  my  hero's  career  on  a  deathbed  in  the 
Lariboisiere  Hospital,  and  prevented  any  possibility  of 
his  resurrection  by  describing  how  I  stood  by  his  grave 
in  the  pauper's  portion  of  the  cemetery  at  Montparnasse 
"on  a  dreary  winter's  afternoon  when  the  snow  fell  in 
soft  white  flakes  on  the  coffin." 

41 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

The  Empress  had  become  strangely  silent,  and  she 
bent  her  head  as  if  she  were  stooping  over  the  nameless 
grave.  "Poor  fellow!"  she  murmured,  rising  with  a  sigh. 
During  the  remainder  of  the  evening  the  recital  of  this 
unhappy  love  affair  cast  a  shadow  of  mournful  melancholy 
over  her  beautiful  face,  for  which  my  conscience  smote  me 
hard.  Even  at  the  present  day  I  feel  a  certain  confusion 
and  almost  remorse  when  I  think  of  my  deception,  and  it 
affords  me  some  relief  to  have  confessed  it. 


42 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  EMPRESS  AT  HOME— BIARRITZ,  FONTAINEBLEAU, 
COMPIEGNE  AND  SAINT  CLOUD 

I  SHOULD  have  an  endless  task  before  me  were  I  to 
attempt  to  revive  the  life  of  a  bygone  epoch  and 
repeople  the  palaces  of  the  Second  Empire  with  those 
men  and  women  whom  I  once  knew  as  constant  visitors 
within  their  gates.  By  far  the  greater  number  of  these 
have  now  passed  away;  of  the  five  Imperial  residences 
three  have  been  destroyed  by  fire;  two  alone  remain  and, 
save  on  rare  occasions,  are  no  more  than  shrines  of  mem- 
ories open  to  foreign  pilgrims  who  visit  France. 

The  life  I  remember  has  gone  from  them  for  ever, 
and  that  vivid  "lived  in"  feeling  which  endows  a 
residence  with  the  personalities  of  its  occupants  is  entirely 
absent  from  them  to-day.  To  recall  this  vanished  life 
would  doubtless  be  a  useful  and  interesting  task,  but  it 
is  not  mine  to-day.  My  object  is  to  show  the  Empress 
Eugenie  in  her  home  life  at  Biarritz,  Fontainebleau,  Com- 
piegne, Saint  Cloud  and  at  the  Tuileries,  because  she  ap- 
peared to  me,  and  was  indeed,  a  different  woman  in 
different  settings. 

She  changed  her  mode  of  life  with  her  surroundings: 
her  thoughts  and  her  feelings  took  on  a  different  color. 
Thus  to  each  house  she  brought  a  new  attitude  of  mind 
and  a  fresh  mood.  I  might  even  go  so  far  as  to  say  that 
her  age  was  not  the  same  at  Biarritz  and  at  Compiegne, 
and  again  not  the  same  at  Compiegne  and  at  the  Tuileries. 
I  think  she  was  always  most  free  and  natural  at  Biarritz, 

43 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

more  the  Eugenie  of  the  days  of  her  youth.  This  is  easily 
explained,  as  at  Biarritz  everything  reminded  her  of  her 
native  land:  climate,  customs,  even  language,  for  at  the 
Villa  Eugenie,  as  well  as  on  the  sea  front,  one  heard 
Spanish  frequently  spoken.  The  people  themselves  were 
good-hearted,  loyal  folk,  and  strangers  were  invariably 
respectful   and  sympathetic. 

This  happy  state  of  things  allowed  the  Empress  very 
great  freedom  in  her  movements;  she  used  to  stroll  down 
the  street  carrying  her  tall  walking-stick  with  its  yellow 
silk  tassels,  holding  her  skirts  well  out  of  the  dust,  walking 
into  shops,  dropping  in  to  see  her  friends,  interesting 
herself  in  the  everyday  life  of  the  town,  watching  the 
erection  of  the  new  buildings,  and  taking  an  active  interest 
in  the  progress  of  the  jetty. 

Politics  were  completely  banished  from  Biarritz,  as  the 
Emperor  was  supposed  to  be  holiday-making.  The  Chief 
Secretary  was  absent,  and  M.  Franceschini  Pietri,  the 
private  secretary,  undertook  any  official  work  that  was 
absolutely  necessary.  There  were  no  Ministerial  meetings 
as  at  Saint  Cloud,  Fontainebleau  and  Compiegne.  One 
Minister  was  in  attendance  (following  the  English  cus- 
tom), but  he  seemed  to  be  staying  at  Biarritz  more  for 
pleasure  than  business,  and  his  presence  was  intermittent. 
A  state  official  came  and  went  with  urgent  dispatches 
which  required  the  Emperor's  signature. 

Nobody  thought  of  dressing  for  dinner,  and  the  well- 
known  telegram  to  Merimee,  "Come  without  knee- 
breeches,"  might  have  been  sent  equally  well  to  any  one 
of  the  other  guests.  These  guests  were  usually  either 
personal  friends  of  the  sovereigns  or  persons  of  distinction 
passing  through  Biarritz  to  whom  a  special  interview  had 
been   granted.      So   that   such   political   affairs   as   were 

44 


Days   at    Biarritz 


actually  dealt  with  were  handled  outside  the  routine  of 
offices  and  ministries.  There  was  no  recognized  rota,  as  in 
those  residences  nearer  Paris.  Our  existence  at  Biarritz 
was  a  combination  of  the  life  in  an  ideal  country-house  and 
that  in  a  big  seaside  hotel.  There  was  any  amount  of 
movement  and  freedom,  and  we  were  always  doing  some- 
thing fresh :  sometimes  a  party  of  us  drove  in  wagonettes  or 
rode  on  horseback  into  the  country,  or  went  for  a  boating 
trip.  We  made  excursions  to  the  mouth  of  the  Adour,  to 
Bayonne,  Cambo,  Saint  Jean  de  Luz,  Sarre,  and  even  into 
Spain,  picnicking  en  route. 

In  the  evening  we  chatted  or  played  a  kind  of  game 
of  "consequences,"  and  it  was  amusing  to  find  that  the 
lights  of  literature  were  not  nearly  so  brilliant  in  this 
mode  of  expression  as  were  the  butterflies  of  our  own 
world.  The  Empress  always  kept  the  most  witty  of  the 
questions  and  answers,  so  it  is  easy  to  guess  that  we  all 
endeavored  to  excel.  We  also  indulged  in  a  lottery, 
where  chance  showed  itself  so  discriminating  that  I  have 
always  suspected  it  was  guided  by  a  very  kind  and  gen- 
erous hand. 

Added  to  its  semi-Spanish  atmosphere,  and  the  almost 
complete  absence  of  politics,  Biarritz  possest  other  at- 
tractions which  endeared  it  to  the  Empress.  As  those  in 
attendance  remained  there  during  the  whole  of  the  five 
or  six  weeks  that  the  Court  was  at  Biarritz,  the  usual 
rotation  was  suspended  and  the  Empress  selected  her 
entourage  with  the  very  greatest  care.  She  therefore 
chose  only  those  people  whom  she  knew  and  liked  person- 
ally, and  she  banished  the  fault-finders,  wet-blankets,  and 
sticklers  for  etiquct,  all  those  who  refused  to  be  merry 
themselves  and  interfered  with  the  amusements  of  others. 

Biarritz  was  the  only  seaside  residence  of  the  Empress, 

45 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

who  loved  the  sea  and  everything  and  everybody  con- 
nected with  it.  One  day  she  described  herself  as  "the 
mother  of  all  sailors,"  and  afterwards  a  few  familiar  and 
privileged  spirits  used  playfully  to  address  her  as 
"Mama."  A  small  cruiser,  anchored  in  Bayonne  road- 
stead, was  always  at  the  disposal  of  the  sovereigns,  and 
every  morning  we  received  a  telegram  to  say  if  the  weather 
or  the  state  of  the  bar  favored  a  sea  trip.  Except  her 
mountain  walks  in  the  Pyrenees,  which  brought  back 
memories  of  her  youthful  days,  the  Empress  liked  nothing 
better  than  a  day  at  sea  on  board  the  Chamois,  but  in 
September,  1867,  one  of  these  sea  trips  nearly  met  with  a 
fatal  termination.  The  Empress,  her  son  and  the  suite 
had  intended  to  land  at  Saint  Jean  de  Luz,  but  the  ship's 
boats  missed  the  entrance  to  the  harbor,  and  the  boat 
which  contained  the  Empress  and  the  Prince  was  nearly 
dashed  to  pieces  on  the  rocks.  Both  mother  and  son  were 
perfectly  undisturbed  by  this  terrifying  experience,  and 
the  Empress  actually  returned  to  Biarritz  in  the  highest 
spirits.  But  I  rather  think  the  Emperor  had  something  to 
say  to  her  on  the  subject,  as  he  had  experienced  two  hours 
of  heartrending  anxiety  on  her  account. 

With  the  exception  of  some  incognito  journeys,  about 
which  I  have  nothing  to  say  as  I  never  accompanied  the 
Empress  on  such  occasions,  I  think  that  Biarritz  was  the 
place  where  she  was  most  truly  herself,  simply  because 
there  she  could,  as  far  as  was  possible  to  a  French  sover- 
eign, do  as  she  pleased,  say  what  she  thought,  and  see 
whom  she  liked. 

At  Fontainebleau  and  Compiegne  the  exigencies  of 
State  demanded  another  role.  Here  she  was  the  Empress 
who  dispensed  a  dazzling  Imperial  hospitality  and  at  the 
same  time  fascinated  and  charmed  everybody.     During 

46 


< 

w 

oa 
w 

< 
O 

fcu, 

c 

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u 

< 

< 

w 
X 


An   Incident   at    Fontainebleau 

my  stay  at  Fontainebleau  in  the  summer  of  1868  there 
were  no  fetes  and  no  receptions,  so  I  knew  only  from  hear- 
say about  the  great  days  of  Fontainebleau:  for  instance, 
the  visit  of  the  Siamese  Mission,  painted  by  Gerome,  the 
Court  of  Love  presided  over  by  the  beautiful  Madame 
Przedjecka,  when  Merimee  acted  as  secretary,  the  gaieties 
of  the  "Babies'  Club,"  where  the  youngest  and  liveliest 
members  of  the  Court  gathered  round  Princess  Anna 
Murat,  in  all  the  glory  of  her  twenty  summers.  But  in 
my  day  the  Court  comprised  only  children  and  middle- 
aged  folk — no  young  men  or  women — and  the  life  of  the 
place  was  a  good  deal  affected  by  this.  We  were  about 
twenty  in  all,  rather  lost  in  the  immense  building,  of 
which  we  occupied  only  a  very  small  part. 

The  only  spots  which  showed  signs  of  life  were  in 
front  of  the  Chinese  Drawing-room  and  along  the  avenue 
of  tall  trees  bordering  the  small  lake.  We  used  to  collect 
there  after  lunch,  and  those  amongst  us  who  were  faithful 
to  the  traditions  of  Fontainebleau  provided  themselves 
with  pieces  of  bread  with  which  to  feed  those  hateful  carp 
who,  in  size  and  fierceness,  exceeded  the  murenas  in  the 
tanks  of  ancient  Rome.  To  the  shore  of  the  lake  were 
moored  all  kinds  of  boats — dingies,  yawls,  canoes,  "Rob 
Roys,"  and  even  a  gondola  which  had  been  abandoned 
by  its  homesick  gondolier,  and  which  none  of  us  knew 
how  to  handle.  In  the  long  straight  avenue  the  Prince 
Imperial  took  his  first  lessons  in  bicycle  riding,  and  the 
Empress's  hammock  was  slung  between  two  of  the  trees. 
One  day,  when  she  was  lying  in  this  hammock,  an  over 
zealous  aide-de-camp  (it  was  not  his  first  blunder)  noticed 
an  old  Japanese  parasol  which  was  lying  long  forgotten  at 
the  foot  of  a  tree  and  which  had  become,  by  the  accumula- 
tion of  years,  the  receptacle  of  a  varied  collection  of  living 

47 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

and  dead  insects.  Advancing  towards  the  Empress  with 
the  movements  of  a  slave  of  the  harem  fanning  a  Sultana, 
the  officer  opened  the  parasol,  and  a  perfect  deluge  of 
grubs  and  caterpillars  rained  upon  the  Empress,  who 
uttered  a  shriek  of  terror  and  sprang  out  of  the  hammock 
like  lightning. 

During  the  midday  heat  the  Empress  liked  to  sit  with 
her  ladies-in-waiting  in  the  Chinese  Drawing-room  as  the 
close  proximity  of  the  lake  and  the  dim  light  made  the 
room  comparatively  cool.  The  two  rooms  which  had  been 
thrown  into  one  to  make  the  Chinese  Drawing-room  were 
immediately  under  the  papal  apartments  at  the  corner  of 
the  Louis  XV  wing  of  the  palace  and  the  Fountain  Court. 
The  Empress  had  furnished  the  Chinese  Drawing-room 
with  the  many  treasures  taken  from  the  Summer  Palace 
at  Peking.  These  she  had  disposed  with  consummate 
skill,  for  she  had  a  gift  of  her  own  for  making  harmony 
out  of  hangings  and  carpets  and  for  the  pleasing  arrange- 
ment of  furniture  and  works  of  art.  I  believe  she  has 
greatly  helped  to  inaugurate  the  fashion  of  the  knick- 
knack  and  has  taught  us  to  fill  up  the  center  of  a  room 
and  to  trace  in  it  winding  lanes,  while  reserving  here  and 
there  secluded  nooks,  each  independent  of  the  others  and 
with  an  individuality  of  its  own.  Anyone  but  Eugenie 
would  have  made  a  kind  of  museum  of  the  room,  but  she 
made  it,  as  it  were,  a  corner  of  the  abode  of  "The  Son 
of  Heaven." 

Seated  in  the  midst  of  these  spoils  from  far  Cathay, 
the  ladies  worked  or  pretended  to,  while  someone  read 
aloud;  I  read  several  of  the  "Nouvelles  Genevoises"  to 
them  in  the  Chinese  Drawing-room. 

When  the  Emperor  happened  to  be  in  camp  at 
Chalons,  or  taking  the  waters,  a  quaint  form  of  corre- 

48   ' 


Drives   through   the   Woods 


spondence  was  exchanged  between  him  and  the  Court. 
The  Plombieres  "trout"  wrote  to  the  carp  at  Fontaine- 
bleau,  who  replied  in  the  same  light-hearted  vein,  and  this 
correspondence  often  occupied  our  afternoons  in  the 
Chinese  Drawing-room.  At  four  o'clock  the  Imperial 
wagonettes  drew  up  in  the  Fountain  Court  with  their 
picturesque  postilions,  who  were  a  delight  to  the  eye  as 
each  stood,  whip  in  hand,  in  the  traditional  livery  of  high 
riding-boots,  yellow  breeches  and  glazed  hats,  not  for- 
getting their  peruques,  from  which  the  powder  fell  in  little 
clouds  on  their  green  and  gold  jackets. 

Those  drives  in  the  woods,  to  the  tuneful  jingling  of 
the  bells  answering  rhythmically  to  the  rapid  trot  of  the 
horses,  were  an  exhilarating  experience.  We  passed 
through  silent  stretches  of  tall  forest;  sometimes  we 
awakened  villages  sleeping  in  the  sun  and  watched  the 
women  rush  to  the  doors  of  their  cottages  and  heard  the 
shrill  voices  of  children  crying  "Long  live  the  Empress!" 
as  we  passed  swiftly  over  the  cobbled  streets.  Sometimes 
we  halted  for  tea  and  a  ramble  among  the  rocks.  I  re- 
member an  excursion  to  the  "Sables  d'Arbonne,"  where 
about  fifteen  of  us,  hand  in  hand,  rushed  headlong  down 
a  very  steep  slope.  We  slipt,  we  fell,  and  finally  we 
lost  our  footing  and  came  down  like  a  hurricane,  the  girls 
screaming  in  mingled  terror  and  enjoyment.  When  we 
finally  arrived  at  the  bottom  of  the  hill  it  was  evident  that 
several  pieces  of  the  ladies'  skirts  and  many  of  their 
high  heels  had  been  torn  off  in  their  downward  course. 
What  a  fine  text  for  the  "unco  guid"  who  were  always 
railing  against  what  they  termed  "the  follies  of  the 
Empress!"  On  my  own  part  I  was  no  more  scandalized 
by  this  innocent  gaiety  than  I  was  in  later  years  when  I 
saw  the  Jesuit  Fathers  playing  football  and  cricket  with 

49 


Recollections    of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

their  pupils.  The  Empress  at  the  age  of  forty  had  kept 
the  gift  of  enjoying  herself  with  children  as  a  child.  I 
always  associated  this  gift  in  my  mind  with  simplicity  and 
strength  of  soul,  and  I  had  not  the  slightest  sympathy  with 
the  censorious  who  affected  to  believe  the  end  of  the  world 
had  come  if,  in  such  games,  one  might  have  caught  an 
occasional  glimpse  of  the  Empress's  ankles. 

After  dinner  we  went  out  again,  and  occasionally  the 
Empress  would  ask  one  of  us  to  row  her  two  or  three 
times  round  the  lake.  When  darkness  fell  we  returned 
to  the  Chinese  Drawing-room,  where  there  chanced  to  be 
a  mechanical  piano;  ever  since  its  discovery  we  had  made 
the  most  of  it,  and  the  girls  danced  merrily  together  to  the 
strains  of  the  then  popular  "Blue  Danube"  and  "Rose" 
waltzes. 

At  half  past  nine  tea  was  served  in  a  neighboring 
room,  and  conversation  lasted  till  a  late  hour,  especially 
when  Merimee  or  Feuillet  happened  to  be  sitting  next  to 
the  Empress. 

One  evening,  as  no  "lions"  were  present,  we  retired 
earlier  than  was  our  wont,  and  hardly  had  we  left  the 
drawing-room  than  an  enormous  cut-glass  chandelier, 
suspended  from  the  ceiling,  fell  with  a  tremendous  crash 
exactly  in  the  place  where  the  Empress  usually  sat  every 
evening.  Thi\s  was  one  of  the  first  of  a  series  of  inex- 
plicable accidents  which  followed  in  quick  succession,  and 
to  which  the  superstitious  attached  the  significance  of 
omens.  In  1869  the  warden  of  Fontainbleau  died  sud- 
denly of  meningitis,  and  the  Republican  newspapers 
attributed  his  death  to  the  fact  that  he  had  stood  bare- 
headed under  a  burning  sun  when  taking  the  orders  of 
the  Empress.  He  was  described  as  being  a  "victim" 
of  the  pitiless  etiquet  insisted  upon  by  the  "Spaniard." 

So 


At   Compiegne 

This  was  absolutely  untrue;  but  how  much  more  untrue 
was  the  prevalent  idea  which  so  many  people  had  formed 
of  the  Empress!  The  real  truth  is  that  she  set  no  value 
on  etiquet,  and  so  often  disregarded  it  that  the  Emperor 
had  constantly  to  recall  her  to  a  sense  of  the  formalities 
befitting  her  exalted  rank. 

It  was  at  Compiegne  that  the  Empress  had  to  display 
the  greatest  skill  in  discharging  her  difficult  and  complex 
duties  as  hostess.  In  the  first  place  the  lists  of  invitations 
had  to  be  drawn  up  and  the  "sets"  made  out  so  as  to 
contain  a  fairly  equal  proportion  of  aristocrats,  cosmo- 
politan notorieties,  diplomats,  artists,  men  of  learning, 
pretty  women  and  members  of  the  Institute.  These 
various  ingredients  had  to  be  cleverly  balanced  so  as  to 
form  a  homogeneous  mixture;  enmities  and  misunder-  N 
standings  had  to  be  taken  account  of:  yet  withal  variety 
and  contrast  must  be  obtained  whilst  avoiding  heart- 
burnings, or  friction.  To  achieve  this  required  a  knowl- 
edge of  every  person's  character  and  past  history. 

The  Empress  was  assisted,  it  is  true,  in  her  selection 
of  her  guests,  but  this  assistance  was  only  an  added 
danger,  and  she  soon  found  that  it  was  necessary  to 
mistrust  the  social  sponsors  who  were  ever  ready  to  put 
forward  the  claims  of  some  "charming  American"  or 
some  "wonderful  artiste."  Further,  whenever  an  invita- 
tion was  sent  to  someone  outside  the  ordinary  Court 
circle  it  was  necessary  to  make  sure  that  there  would  be 
no  affronting  refusal  or  that  the  acceptance  would  not 
result  in  some  breach  of  etiquet  which  would  scandalize 
the  doctors  of  decorum  and  disturb  the  harmony  created 
with  so  much  pains. 

Once  the  lists  were  checked  and  the  invitations  issued 
care  had  to  be  bestowed  on  the  assignment  of  rooms,  for 

5i 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

the  apartments  had  to  be  proportioned  to  the  rank  and 
importance  of  the  guests.  Therefore,  if  the  Marechale  X 
had  been  given  a  special  boudoir  where  she  could  receive 
her  chosen  friends,  it  was  impossible  to  refuse  the  Prin- 
cess Y  a  similar  privilege. 

Then  came  the  task  of  preparing  the  program  for 
the  nine  or  ten  days  allotted  to  each  set;  of  keeping  this 
collection  of  varied  personalities  amused  from  nine  in 
the  morning  until  midnight;  of  controlling  them  under 
the  appearance  of  perfect  freedom;  of  flattering  their 
vanity  with  a  word,  twenty  times  a  day,  and  keeping  their 
interest  awake;  of  making  each  one  of  the  bigwigs  believe 
he  was  the  great  man  of  the  set,  and  preventing  the  shy 
ones  from  congregating  in  corners  and  forming  cliques — 
in  a  word,  of  making  a  salon,  that  is,  a  social  unit,  out  of 
as  incongruous  an  assemblage  of  human  beings  as  the 
chances  of  a  journey  will  bring  together  in  a  restaurant 
car.  Such  was  the  task  to  which  the  Empress  applied 
herself,  and  the  surviving  guests  of  Compiegne,  of  whom 
there  are  still  many,  God  be  thanked,  will,  I  feel  sure, 
gladly  bear  witness  to  her  triumphant  success  in  social 
diplomacy. 

I  will  not  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  Empress  never 
made  a  mistake,  or  complimented  the  wrong  person,  or 
blundered  when  she  was  driven  to  guesswork  through 
lack  of  time  in  which  to  study  her  part. 

I  have  already  related  in  the  Journal  des  Debats,  a  propos 
of  my  personal  recollections  of  the  visit  of  the  Tsar  and 
Tsarina  to  Compiegne,1  an  entertaining  little  slip  of 
hers — for  which  I  was  partly  responsible. 

M.  Egger,  one  of  the  professors  at  the  Sorbonne,  had 
handed  to  the  Empress  a  roll  of  manuscript,  sealed  up, 

1  Journal  des  D&bats,  September  7,  1901. 
52 


A   MS.   and   a   Meeting 


which  he  had  begged  her  to  open  and  read,  as  he  felt 
sure  that  it  would  interest  her. 

The  Empress,  who  did  not  know  much  about  M.  Egger 
beyond  the  fact  that  he  was  a  very  learned  man,  asked 
me  to  enlighten  her  as  to  his  especial  subject,  and  I  there- 
fore naturally  waxed  enthusiastic  over  the  genius  of  the 
eminent  Greek  scholar  whose  lectures  I  had  attended 
at  the  Sorbonne.  "Ah!"  said  the  Empress.  "Then 
M.  Egger  confines  his  work  exclusively  to  ancient 
Greece?" 

"That  is  so,"  I  replied. 

A  few  days  after  our  conversation  M.  Egger  happened 
to  meet  the  Empress.  "Dare  I  venture  to  ask  the  opinion 
of  your  Majesty  about  the  manuscript  which  I  submitted 
for  your  Majesty's  consideration?  "  said  he. 

"Oh!  yes  .  .  .  yes,"  answered  the  Empress.  ...  "I 
found  it  most  interesting.  .  .  .  These  memories  of  Greece 
are  full  of  charm." 

"But,  madame  .  .  ."  exclaimed  the  mystified  professor 
".  .  .  the  manuscript  contained  an  account  of  various 
unpublished  documents   relating  to  Marie  Antoinette!" 

The  Empress  looked  at  M.  Egger,  then  she  laughed. 
"Forgive  me,"  she  cried,  "I'll  confess  I  have  not  yet  had 
a  chance  to  open  the  roll.  .  .  .  Shall  we  look  through  it 
together?" 

A  few  such  slight  mishaps,  good  humoredly  recog- 
nized and  gracefully  repaired,  could  in  no  way  affect  the 
prestige  of  the  Imperial  hostess. 

She  relied  chiefly  on  the  afternoon  teas  in  her  attempts 
to  blend  together  the  various  elements  which  composed 
each  "set."  I  will  endeavor  to  picture  two  of  these 
teas,  one  of  the  third  set  in  1868  to  which  my  father 
was  invited,  and  which  he  described  in  a  letter  to  my 

53 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

mother   the   same   evening,    and   another  which   I   find 
described  in  my  own  notes. 

"After  lunch,"  wrote  my  father,  "Mademoiselle  de 
Larminat,  one  of  the  maids  of  honor,  invited  me  on  behalf 
of  the  Empress  to  take  tea  with  her  at  five  o'clock.  I  was  a 
little  early,  and  was  somewhat  startled,  when  I  entered,  to 
find  myself  almost  alone  with  the  Empress.  The  only 
other  guest  present  was  a  young  naval  commander  named 
Gamier,  just  home  from  the  Far  East,  who  had  brought  a 
number  of  drawings  of  Buddhist  monuments.  The  Em- 
press asked  me  to  sit  down  and  look  at  the  drawings.  But 
the  room  soon  began  to  fill — I  think  about  twenty  persons 
had  been  invited — the  ladies  chatted  among  themselves, 
or  with  the  ladies-in-waiting,  whilst  the  maids  of  honor 
dispensed  tea.  The  Empress,  who  was  seated  on  a  sofa, 
made  the  men  sit  round  her:  she  placed  Lachaud  on  her 
right,  Baroche  on  her  left;  the  others  present  were  Al- 
phand,  Viollet  le  Due,  Prince  Bibesco,  an  "avocat-gen- 
eral "  M.  Savary,  and  two  or  three  more  whose  names  I  for- 
get. The  conversation  over  which  the  Empress  presided 
first  turned  on  famous  orators  past  and  present.  Baroche 
and  Lachaud  naturally  led  the  discussion;  the  Empress 
declared  that  she  personally  preferred  men  of  deeds  to 
men  of  words;  and  poor  Cicero,  who  was  not  there  to  plead 
his  own  cause,  but  who  found  an  advocate  in  Boissier, 
was  the  butt  of  several  caustic  remarks.  The  mention 
of  women  who  possess  the  gift  of  oratory  permitted  me 
to  say  something  about  Madame  Deraisme,  whom  I  had 
heard  speaking  at  the  Boulevard  des  Capucines.  At  last 
we  touched  on  the  question  of  divorce,  which  Lachaud 
advocated,  although  he  admitted  that  religious  sentiment 
was  a  serious  obstacle.  The  Empress  closed  the  dis- 
cussion by  saying:  'We  shall  not  reestablish  divorce  in 

54 


A    Lawyers'    Tea 

France/  She  then  rose  and  made  a  sign  for  us  to  with- 
draw, and  we  hurried  away  to  dress  for  an  early  dinner,  as 
there  was  to  be  a  theatrical  performance  afterwards." 

Later  I  wrote  down  my  own  impressions:  "Invited 
to  tea  with  the  Empress.  It  was  a  lawyers'  tea,  and 
we  discust  celebrated  trials.  Madame  Lafarge  was  our 
first  'subject,'  and  we  made  desperate  efforts  to  induce 
Lachaud,  who  was  sitting  next  the  Empress,  to  break  the 
silence  of  years  and  say  whether  he  still  believed  in  the 
innocence  of  Madame  Lafarge.  It  was  evident  that  most 
of  the  guests  like  myself  had  heard  of  Lachaud's  infatua- 
tion for  his  beautiful  client,  but  we  could  get  nothing  from 
him.  I  turned  to  him,  remarking,  'Well,  Lachaud,  your 
clients  have  certainly  taught  you  one  lesson.' 

"'And  what  is  that?' 

"'Never  to  confess,'  I  answered. 

"He  laughed,  but  remained  as  impenetrable  as  ever. 

"The  conversation  then  turned  on  the  murder  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Praslin  by  her  husband.  The  Empress  told 
us  that  she  used  to  meet  the  Duke  and  his  wife  at  the 
Delesserts.  'I  met  the  Duchesse  at  dinner  a  few  days 
before  the  murder,'  she  said.  'And  the  Duchesse  told  us 
that  one  night  she  had  seen  the  figure  of  a  hooded  monk 
standing  in  the  middle  of  her  room.  She  had  pulled  the 
bell  cord  violently,  and  the  monk  had  disappeared.  Was 
it  a  nightmare  or  was  it  the  Duke?'  asked  the  Empress. 

"'It  must  have  been  the  Duke,'  replied  a  dramatic 
author.     'He  was  having  a  dress  rehearsal.' 

"'Yes,  I  think  you  are  right,'  answered  the  Empress, 
'because  on  the  night  of  the  murder  all  the  wires  of  the 
bells  had  been  cut.'" 

In  the  midst  of  this  continual  keeping  up  of  appear- 
ances and  somewhat  artificial  merriment,  the  Empress 

55 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

had  moments  of  profound  weariness.  "People  will 
have  it,"  she  said  to  me  one  day,  "that  kings  are  sur- 
rounded by  flatterers;  but,  alas!  it  is  kings  themselves 
who  are  obliged  to  play  the  flatterers'  part  to  all  the 
world.  Their  whole  life  is  one  long  bowing  and  thanking. 
Monarchs  are  not  even  allowed  the  right  to  criticize. 
They  dare  not  stigmatize  as  execrable  the  book  which 
is  dedicated  to  them,  the  play  which  is  performed  in 
their  presence,  or  the  music  with  which  their  ears  are 
tortured.  A  queen  often  skims  through  the  pages  of  some 
learned  work,  as  a  schoolboy  studies  his  lesson,  whilst  her 
hair  is  being  drest  for  dinner,  simply  because  it  behoves 
her  to  be  gracious  to  the  author.  At  Court  all  the  young 
girls  are  pretty,  all  the  gowns  are  exquisite,  every  artist  is 
a  genius.  It  is  the  fate  of  princes  to  be  forced  to  admire 
everything  and  everybody." 

The  Empress  was  speaking  in  the  quiet  room  where 
the  Prince  Imperial  usually  worked.  The  Prince's 
governor,  General  Frossard,  did  not  often  allow  his 
charge  to  take  part  in  the  gay  doings  at  Compiegne,  and 
when  for  some  reason  or  other  the  Prince  was  not  allowed 
to  dine  at  the  Imperial  table,  the  evening  used  to  pass 
somewhat  as  follows: 

Toward  seven  o'clock  all  was  quiet  in  the  gloomy 
study,  illuminated  by  a  single  lamp  with  a  broad  shade, 
by  the  light  of  which  the  Prince  and  his  friend,  Conneau, 
were  struggling  with  a  sentence  of  Sallust's  or  a  problem 
in  arithmetic.  The  silence  was  unbroken  save  by  the  loud 
regular  ticking  of  a  great  clock  more  than  a  hundred  years 
old  and  the  voice  of  the  wind  as  it  howled  afar  in  the 
forest.  Suddenly  a  door  opened.  We  heard  the  rustle 
of  silk  and  satin,  the  soft  jingle  of  swinging  bracelets  and 
chains.     It  was  the  Empress! 

56 


In    the    Prince's   Study 


When  her  maids  had  put  the  last  touches  to  her  gor- 
geous dinner  toilet  in  that  wonderful  dressing-room, 
sacred  in  bygone  years  to  Marie  Antoinette  and  Marie 
Louise,  she  used  to  come  to  say  good  night  to  her  son 
before  joining  the  Emperor. 

As  she  came  up  to  the  table  her  figure  lit  up  the 
shadows.  "Oh!  Mama,  is  it  you?"  exclaimed  the 
Prince. 

"Are  you  hard  at  work?  If  so,  don't  let  me  disturb 
you,"  she  answered.  And  she  would  kiss  him  tenderly 
and  playfully  tap  Louis  Conneau  on  the  shoulder.  Then 
she  would  walk  to  the  window  and  stand  in  the  bay  for  a 
few  moments,  talking  in  undertones.  Sometimes  she 
prest  her  forehead  against  the  pane,  gazing  into  the 
depth  and  mystery  of  the  dark  night  with  eyes  full  of 
dreams  as  if  she  sought  therein  refreshment  for  sight  and 
brain.  One  evening  she  said  to  me:  "What  a  pity  Gen- 
eral Frossard  cannot  forbid  me,  as  well  as  my  son,  to 
attend  this  dinner!"  I  can  still  smell  the  faint  perfume 
which  enveloped  her  like  the  sighs  of  flowers.  It  was  like 
a  vision,  and  lasted  but  five  minutes,  yet  the  splendors  of 
Compiegne  seem  pale  and  dull  in  comparison. 

I  think  I  can  best  describe  Saint  Cloud  as  a  place  of 
contrasts.  Sometimes  it  was  more  full  of  life  than  the 
Tuileries,  and  sometimes  it  was  more  still  than  Fontain- 
bleau  or  Compeigne  in  their  days  of  deserted  silence,  when 
either  Court  or  guests  were  away.  Here  sweet  peaceful 
days  alternated  with  the  pomp  of  levees  and  receptions, 
but  Saint  Cloud  was  not  far  enough  off  from  Paris  to 
prevent  the  almost  daily  intrusion  of  politics  into  the  life 
of  the  Sovereigns.  Paris  was  always  present  in  our  eyes 
and  in  our  minds,  and  the  great  frowning  city  seemed 
like  a  silent  enemy.     Twice  a  week  we  saw  a  long  pro- 

57 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

cession  of  Ministerial  carriages  drive  slowly  up  the  avenue, 
and  we  knew  instinctively  that  each  carriage  contained  a 
load  of  fresh  worries.  After  the  council  was  over  the 
Ministers  lunched  with  the  Emperor;  some  were  gruff  and 
sullen,  others  put  on  a  mien  of  affected  jollity.  Their 
faces,  heated  or  pale  with  fatigue,  showed  obvious  traces 
of  stormy  discussions  that  often  came  near  to  degenerating 
into  disputes. 

In  the  evenings  the  Emperor  occasionally  received 
members  of  the  Chamber.  Such  evenings,  one  need 
hardly  say,  were  not  merry  ones,  for  there  was  in  the  air 
the  shadow  of  coming  disaster,  and  all  felt  obscurely  that 
evil  days  were  at  hand. 

But  there  were  other  days,  very  different,  when  Saint 
Cloud  seemed  to  forget  the  existence  of  Paris  and  turned 
her  back  on  the  capitol  to  seek  refuge  in  the  peaceful 
solitudes  of  her  vast  park.  Then  it  became  once  more 
the  country  residence  of  kings,  the  house  of  peace,  of 
memories,  of  dreams.  I  have  seen  the  girls  of  the 
St.  Denis  School  playing,  chattering  and  singing 
roundelays  on  the  very  spot  where,  a  few  months  before, 
the  unfortunate  Empress  Charlotte  had  lost  her  reason. 
Thus  two  entirely  opposite  tendencies  entered  into  the 
life  of  the  Empress  at  Saint  Cloud.  The  outward  pleas- 
ures she  shared  with  those  around  her:  the  deep-seated 
worries  could  only  be  guessed  from  a  few  words  which 
escaped  her  now  and  then. 

Of  a  morning  I  often  saw  the  Empress  driving  herself 
in  a  pretty  little  basket  carriage,  respectfully  installed 
in  her  seat  by  Gamble,  the  Englishman  who  ruled  supreme 
in  the  stables. 

I  do  not  know  whether  she  was  a  skilful  whip,  or  what 
opinion  an  expert  would  have  passed  on  her  driving,  but 

58 


The   Library   at   Saint   Cloud 

to  me  she  seemed  wholly  charming  and  dignified  as, 
perched  on  her  tall  seat,  she  gave  their  head  to  the  ponies, 
who  shook  their  tasseled  trappings  and  raised  a  cloud  of 
dust  as  they  moved  off. 

In  the  afternoon  we  would  drive  in  chars-a-bancs  to 
the  woods  of  Ville  d'Avray,  of  Hubies,  of  Fausses-Re- 
poses,  to  the  model  farm  at  Jardies,  to  the  pond  at  Saint 
Cucufa,  or  to  the  pavilion  of  La  Jonchere,  or  again  to 
the  Marly  Aqueduct  and  the  Malmaison.  A  drive  to 
the  last  named  was  the  final  outing  of  1870. 

After  dinner  we  usually  sat  in  the  middle  drawing- 
room  on  the  first  floor,  or  else  in  the  billiard-room  next 
to  it,  and  some  of  us  repaired  to  the  library  immediately 
behind  the  drawing-room  where  we  could  talk  undis- 
turbed. The  library,  a  curious  room  designed  by  King 
Louis  Philippe,  resembled  the  frame  of  a  staircase  abso- 
lutely devoid  of  stairs,  the  positions  of  the  various  floors 
being  shown  by  narrow  galleries  one  over  the  other,  the 
whole  lighted  by  a  glass  roof.  These  galleries,  from  top  to 
bottom,  were  lined  with  books,  and  contained  many  rare 
and  valuable  volumes.  Jules  Sandeau  acted  nominally 
as  librarian,  and  when  the  Court  was  at  Saint  Cloud  he 
was  always  at  his  post  in  the  library  on  Sundays,  when 
their  Majesties  passed  on  their  way  to  chapel,  and  was 
greeted  by  them  with  a  smiling  "good  morning;"  but 
Sandeau  never  troubled  to  intrude  himself  further  on 
their  notice. 

The  large  round  table,  at  which  the  ladies  sat  pre- 
tending to  occupy  themselves  with  fancy  work,  was  placed 
in  one  corner  of  the  drawing-room  between  the  mantel- 
piece and  the  library  door.  The  Empress  used  to  sit  im- 
mediately under  a  marble  bust  of  Napoleon  II  which  was 
as  unlike  the  Due  de  Reichstadt  we  have  seen  on  the 

59 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

stage  as  it  is  possible  to  imagine.  It  was  at  this  table 
that  Merimee  read  "Lokis,"  his  last  imaginative  work, 
aloud  to  us,  and  our  favorable  verdict  determined  him 
to  publish  it.  I  have  already  related  this  incident  in 
"Merimee  and  His  Friends. "  Those  of  my  readers  who 
are  desirous  of  learning  the  details  will  there  find  them 
fully  described. 


60 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  EMPRESS  AT  HOME  (continued)— LIFE  AT  THE  TUILERIES 
(1867-70)— THE  EMPRESS  AND  POLITICS 

IF  at  certain  times  life  at  Saint  Cloud  was  saddened 
by  the  intrusion  of  politics,  it  is  not  too  much  to  affirm 
that  we  were  never  free  from  them  at  the  Tuileries, 
where  they  enveloped  us  in  one  unbroken  gloom  made 
dense  with  unhappy  memories  and  still  more  sinister 
forebodings. 

At  the  Tuileries,  indeed,  the  Empress  appears  to  me 
as  a  great  and  noble  figure,  for  there  I  have  seen  her 
devote  herself,  body  and  soul,  to  the  terrible  task  of 
sovereignty  and  live  again,  with  full  consciousness  of  the 
perilous  and  tragic  similarity,  the  successive  phases  of 
that  other  royal  agony  which  the  same  surroundings  had 
once  witnessed. 

And  to  begin  with  it  is  important  to  have  a  clear  vision 
of  these  surroundings,  for  not  only  are  they  the  natural 
frame  of  the  portrait  I  am  endeavoring  to  sketch,  but 
they  reflect  the  personality  of  her  who  lived  so  long  among 
them  and  who  had,  to  a  certain  extent,  stamped  them  with 
the  impress  of  her  own  moral  individuality.  It  is  under 
this,  their  last  aspect,  that  the  Tuileries  will  go  down  to 
history.  I  make  therefore  no  apology  for  describing  them 
in  detail. 

The  private  apartments  of  the  Empress  consisted  of 
eight  rooms  out  of  the  eleven  on  the  first  floor  of  the  wing 
of  the  palace  situated  between  the  Pavilion  de  l'Horloge 
and  the  Pavilion  de  Flore.     I  am  now  only  referring  to 

those  rooms  of  which  the  windows  looked  out  upon  the 

61 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

garden;  those  which  overlooked  the  Cour  du  Carrousel 
were  used  for  another  purpose  which  I  shall  presently 
explain. 

When  a  visitor  wished  to  reach  the  Empress's  rooms  by 
the  great  hall  which  opened  on  to  the  arch  of  the  Horloge, 
it  was  necessary,  after  mounting  the  staircase,  to  cross  the 
anteroom  in  which  the  ushers  were  on  duty,  and  thence 
to  pass  through  the  room  used  by  those  in  attendance  to 
the  drawing-room  especially  reserved  for  ladies.  In  this 
room,  if  my  memory  serves  me  aright,  framed  in  the  wood- 
work, were  the  portraits  of  the  prettiest  women  of  the 
Second  Empire.  They  were  popularly  supposed  to  be  the 
"friends"  of  the  Empress,  although,  when  I  first  came 
to  the  Tuileries,  a  number  of  these  so-called  "friends" 
had  either  discontinued  their  visits  or  were  very  coldly 
received.  The  study  came  next  and  was  crowded  with 
furniture  and  lined  with  glass  cases  full  of  treasures. 
Close  to  the  second  window  was  the  Empress's  special 
corner  where  she  wrote  her  letters.  Her  writing-table 
was  encircled  by  a  crystal  screen  over  which  graceful 
climbing  plants  hung  in  festoons  of  verdure,  giving  her 
the  appearance  of  being  in  some  nook  of  tropical  forest. 
The  table,  which  was  rather  small,  was  surrounded  with 
miniatures  and  photographs,  and  the  Empress  could  never 
write  a  line  without  feeling  herself  in  the  presence  and 
under  the  observation  of  her  beloved  living  and  her 
equally  beloved  dead.  Behind  her  writing-table  was  a 
glass-fronted  cupboard.  This  she  opened  one  day  and 
showed  me  some  beautifully  bound  books  in  which  she 
had  copied  extracts  in  prose  or  poetry  from  her  favorite 
authors.  The  names  which  recurred  most  frequently  were 
those  of  Bossuet,  Chateaubriand,  Lamartine.  de  Maistre, 

Victor  Cousin,  Donoso  Cortez,  and,  generally  speaking, 

62 


The   Emperor's   Rooms 


all  those  who  have  bequeathed  us  great  thoughts  on  great 
subjects. 

She  was  but  little  moved  by  that  power  which  lies  in 
the  continuity  of  argument,  in  the  classification  of  facts, 
or  in  the  logical  march  of  thought  towards  a  rigorous 
conclusion.  Her  sympathies  were  rather  with  the  "  seers," 
with  the  intuitive  minds,  those  that  find  the  truth  by  in- 
stinct and  flash  upon  it  an  illuminating  word,  with  that 
convincing  common  sense  that  needs  no  proofs.  I  doubt  if 
she  often  read  a  book  through  from  cover  to  cover.  She 
would  come  across,  in  the  opening  pages,  some  phrase 
which  stopt  her  and  set  her  thinking.  I  remember  her 
exclamations  of  surprize  when  I  once  told  her  that  the  best 
book  would  be  that  from  which  it  would  be  impossible  to 
make  sense  of  a  single  line  once  it  was  separated  from  the 
text  to  which  it  belonged. 

Between  the  study  and  the  library  was  the  starting- 
point  of  a  little  winding  staircase  which  communicated 
with  the  Emperor's  rooms.  These  were  situated  on  the 
ground  floor  of  the  palace  underneath  those  of  the  Em- 
press, but  separated  from  them  by  the  entresol,  which 
was  allotted  to  the  use  of  Gabriel  Thelin,  a  former  valet 
de  chambre  who  had  become  the  treasurer  of  the  privy 
purse. 

The  rooms  occupied  by  the  Emperor  were  merely  little 
overheated  gilt  boxes  furnished  in  the  style  of  the  First 
Empire.  The  Emperor,  who  took  after  the  Creole  side 
of  his  family,  liked  these  small  rooms  and  insisted  on 
maintaining  therein  an  excessively  high  temperature.  He 
was  also  very  fond  of  bed,  and  would  often  seek  it  when 
he  wanted  to  think  things  over.  The  Empress  rarely 
visited  this  hot-house;  whenever  she  wanted  to  speak  to 
the  Emperor  she  struck  a  gong  which  was  placed  at  the 

63 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

head  of  the  little  staircase,  and  if  Napoleon  III  were  at 
liberty  he  instantly  obeyed  her  summons. 

The  Empress's  books  were  arranged  in  handsome 
glass-fronted  bookcases,  and  all  the  volumes  were  bound 
in  dark  morocco  stamped  with  an  "E"  surmounted  by 
the  Imperial  Crown.  The  selection  of  these  books  showed 
an  almost  encyclopedic  method  of  thought  dominated  by 
those  idealistic  predilections  to  which  I  have  referred. 
But  the  works  of  historians  were  given  the  place  of  honor 
in  this  charming  library,  which  after  the  Fourth  of  Sep- 
tember the  Emperor  tried  to  reconstruct  elsewhere. 

The  large  embrasure  of  the  window  formed  a  sort  of 
winter  garden,  and  it  was  here  that  I  installed  Fustel  de 
Coulanges  one  spring  day  in  1869,  when  he  came  to  give 
us  a  series  of  interesting  talks  on  the  growth  of  primitive 
civilizations,  and  above  all  on  the  civilization  of  ancient 
Egypt,  of  which  the  Empress  was  soon  to  see  the  surviving 
relics  for  herself.  These  little  lectures  made  an  interest- 
ing and  charming  picture.  Imagine  the  five  or  six  ladies 
grouped  around  the  Empress,  some  sewing,  others  in- 
tently watching  the  speaker.  Occasionally  a  whisper,  a 
smile,  some  artless  question!  And  the  author  of  "The 
Ancient  City,"  speaking  in  a  level,  slow,  slightly  affected 
voice,  at  first  stiff  and  nervous,  in  his  tight  black  coat  and 
in  his  novel  role,  but  gradually  thawing  under  the  sym- 
pathy and  interest  which  welcomed  him  and  were  main- 
tained to  the  end. 

From  the  library  one  passed  into  a  kind  of  anteroom, 
which  seemed  rather  bare  and  insignificant  until  two  large 
swing-doors  opened  opposite  the  window  and  disclosed 
an  altar  in  the  recess  behind.  This  room  was  the  Em- 
press's oratory;  there  the  Prince  Imperial  performed  the 

devotions  of  his  religious  "retreat"  before  his  First  Com- 

64 


Slumming  in    Paris 


munion,  and  listened  to  the  final  instructions  given  him  by 
the  Abbe  Degueny,  cure  of  the  Madeleine.  It  was  also  in 
this  little  oratory  that  the  Empress  heard  Mass  for  the 
last  time  on  the  morning  of  the  Fourth  of  September. 

An  enormous  dressing-room,  large  enough  for  a 
Council  of  State,  and  a  smaller  but  nevertheless  large 
bedroom  completed  the  suite  of  rooms  reserved  for  the 
Empress. 

How  did  the  Empress  spend  her  mornings?  I  confess 
I  am  in  almost  complete  ignorance  on  this  point.  I  am 
left  with  three  suppositions:  business,  dress,  charity. 
A  propos  of  the  last  I  find  an  undated  entry  in  my  diary. 
"This  morning  I  met  a  carriage  entering  the  courtyard 
of  the  Tuileries.  The  men  wore  gray  liveries.  Inside  sat 
an  old  lady  with  spectacles,  a  large  hat  and  a  thick  veil. 
With  her  was  Mademoiselle  Marion  and  the  two  nieces  of 
her  Majesty,  the  Duchesse  de  Galisteo,  and  the  Duchesse 
de  Montoro.  They  all  began  to  laugh  when  they  saw  my 
startled  look,  and  suddenly  the  old  lady  took  off  her 
spectacles  and  raised  her  veil.  ...  It  was  like  the  fairy- 
tale of  Cinderalla;  a  transformation  happened  under  one's 
very  eyes.  .  .  .  The  old  lady  was  none  other  than  the  Em- 
press! It  seems  that  she  often  disguises  herself  when  she 
visits  the  poor  in  the  lowest  parts  of  Paris.  We  spoke 
about  our  meeting  that  evening,  and  the  Empress  said  she 
thought  the  Prince  ought  to  see  for  himself  what  poverty 
was  really  like.  'He  does  not  know  what  it  is/  she  de- 
clared. 'He  probably  thinks  that  the  poor  are  those  who 
don't  possess  carriages.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  he 
should  understand  and  realize,  that  he  should  listen  to 
the  tales  of  these  poor  wretches;  much  in  them  is  lies,  no 
doubt,  and  yet  even  more  is  truth.  He  must  see  for  him- 
self those  dreadful  homes,  without  air  or  bread,  where 

65 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

happiness  is  impossible.  He  is  not  fit  to  reign  until  he  has 
seen  that!'  I  told  the  Empress  I  would  mention  her  wish 
to  General  Frossard,  but  I  can  see  him  already  in  my  imag- 
ination. He  will  throw  up  his  hands  to  Heaven  in  sheer 
despair  and  go  out  slamming  the  door  behind  him!" 

The  Empress  lunched  alone  with  the  Emperor.  The 
Prince,  who  sometimes  made  a  third,  has  often  told  me 
about  these  luncheons,  which  were  far  simpler  than  those 
of  the  officers  on  palace  duty.  After  lunch  the  Empress 
gave  audiences,  and  it  is  a  characteristic  fact  that  we  had 
always  to  warn  the  Empress  when  it  was  time  for  her  to 
bid  adieu  to  those  honored  by  an  audience.  She  had 
no  notion  whatever  of  the  flow  of  time,  and  she  once  told 
us  about  her  first  visit  to  Princess  Marie  of  Baden,  Duch- 
ess of  Hamilton,  after  her  marriage.  "I  believe  I  stopt 
there  for  five  or  six  hours,"  she  said:  "I  had  nothing 
left  to  say,  and  yet  I  didn't  go.  I  believe  I  should  have 
remained  there  to  this  day  if  the  Emperor  had  not 
become  uneasy  and  sent  Bacciochi  to  fetch  me." 

The  Empress  could  never  accustom  herself  to  limit 
an  interview  in  proportion  to  the  person's  rank,  the  degree 
of  intimacy,  or  the  object  of  the  visit.  Many  a  time  at 
Chislehurst  it  has  been  my  duty  to  appear  and  cut  short 
on  any  pretext  some  interview  of  which  the  Empress  could 
not  have  told  whether  it  had  lasted  two  hours  or  ten 
minutes. 

At  four  o'clock  the  Empress  invariably  drove  out, 
excepting  those  days  when  she  went  skating.  But  the 
monotonous  four  o'clock  drive,  which  by  this  time  she 
thought  very  dull,  became  on  occasions  strangely  dra- 
matic. I  remember  one  memorable  day  in  1869,  when  the 
Imperial  carriage,  instead  of  taking  the  usual  route  to  the 
Bois  de  Boulogne,  drove  without  any  escort,  preceded  by 

66 


Quiet   Courage   of  the   Empress 

a  single  outrider,  towards  the  habitual  center  of  the 
troubles  which  were  then  agitating  Paris.  When,  after 
having  passed  down  the  Rue  de  Rivoli  and  the  Boulevard 
de  Sebastopol,  the  Sovereigns  reached  the  great  Boule- 
vards, they  found  the  crowd  was  so  dense  that  the  landau 
had  to  proceed  at  a  snail's  pace  and  at  times  to  stop  alto- 
gether. The  crowd  of  onlookers,  mostly  hostile  to  the 
Empire  and  which  very  likely  had  hooted  the  police  only 
five  minutes  previously,  was  suddenly  seized  with  en- 
thusiasm and  burst  into  frenzied  cheers.  It  was  a  great 
popular  ovation — but,  alas!  it  was  the  last! 

That  evening,  when  I  ventured  to  tell  the  Empress 
how  greatly  I  admired  her  courage,  she  replied,  "Don't 
you  know  I  am  an  awful  coward?" 

I  told  her  that  I  refused  to  believe  it,  and  instanced 
her  visit  to  the  cholera  patients  at  Amiens  and  her  be- 
havior on  January  14,  1858,  when  she  had  said  to  those 
who  were  fussing  round  her:  "Look  after  the  wounded 
and  do  not  trouble  about  us.  .  .  .  This  is  part  of  our 
day's  work!" 

But  she  repeated,  shaking  her  head:  "Indeed  I  assure 
you  that,  by  nature,  I  am  really  a  coward." 

At  seven  o'clock  we  all  assembled  in  what  was  known 
as  the  Private  Drawing-Room  which  looked  on  the  Place 
du  Carrousel  and  was  separated  from  the  Salle  des  Mare- 
chaux  by  the  room  called  the  First  Consul's  Room. 
The  drawing-room  was  very  spacious;  on  one  side  of  it 
stood  a  grand  piano,  on  the  other  near  the  mantelpiece  was 
a  four-cornered  table,  in  the  center  a  circular  couch.  The 
furniture  was  covered  with  old  discolored  red  damask, 
quite  out  of  fashion,  and  the  material  was  so  frayed  on 
the  arms  of  the  chairs  that  the  lining  was  visible.  These 
pieces  of  furniture  disappeared  eventually  to  return,  one 

67 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

by  one,  re-covered  with  a  special  make  of  black  satin 
brocaded  in  silk  flowers,  an  order  doubtless  intended  as 
an  encouragement  to  the  silk-weaving  industries  of  Lyons, 
then  already  in  a  very  precarious  condition.  We  often  had 
to  wait  an  interminable  time,  without  knowing  the  cause 
of  the  delay,  for  the  moment  when  the  doors  of  the  Em- 
press's drawing-room  were  flung  wide  apart  and  the 
usher  announced  "The  Emperor."  The  Sovereigns  then 
entered,  accompanied  by  the  Prince.  If  guests  were 
present  the  gentlemen  lined  up  on  one  side  and  the  ladies 
on  the  other,  and  as  the  Sovereigns  passed  the  Emperor 
spoke  to  each  of  the  men  and  the  Empress  said  a  few 
gracious  words  to  the  ladies,  and  whoever  first  finished 
the  "moving"  conversation — this  was  usually  Na- 
poleon III — awaited  the  other.  The  prefect  of  the 
palace  on  duty  announced  that  dinner  was  served,  and 
led  the  way,  the  Emperor  following  with  the  Empress  on 
his  arm,  except  when  Royalties  were  present.  We  passed 
first  through  the  Throne  Room,  which  was  next  the 
Private  Drawing-Room,  and  we  then  entered  the  Salon 
Louis  XIV,  so  called  because  the  whole  of  the  wall  facing 
the  windows  was  hung  with  a  piece  of  Gobelins  tapestry 
which  was  a  faithful  reproduction  of  the  painting  in  which 
the  great  monarch  is  shown  presenting  the  young  King 
Philip  V  of  Spain  to  his  future  subjects. 

The  Empress  once  called  my  attention  to  the  fact  that 
the  Cardinal  Portocarrero,  who  headed  the  deputation  to 
Louis  XIV,  was  a  member  of  her  family,  Portocarrero 
being  her  father's  surname  before  he  inherited  his  title. 
When  Queen  Isabella  of  Spain,  after  the  Revolution  of 
1868,  visited  the  Tuileries  for  the  first  time,  she  stopt 
in  front  of  this  tapestry.  "There,"  said  she,  "is  the 
beginning.      And    here" — pointing    to    herself — "is    the 

68 


Round    the    Imperial    Table 


end!"  But  events  proved  her  to  be  wrong — Queen 
Isabella  was  not  the  "end"  of  the  Monarchy. 

The  Emperor  sat  directly  under  this  tapestry  facing 
the  windows,  having  the  Empress  and  the  aide-de-camp 
in  attendance  at  his  left.  The  Prince  Imperial  and  the 
lady-in-waiting  were  at  his  right.  The  Adjutant-General 
of  the  palace  faced  the  Emperor,  and  the  rest  of  the 
company  sat  where  they  pleased.  At  these  informal 
dinners  the  Emperor's  military  staff  was  represented  by 
the  aide-de-camp  and  the  orderly  officers,  the  civilian 
household  by  the  equerry  and  chamberlain  on  duty,  the 
Empress's  household  by  a  lady-in-waiting,  a  maid  of  honor 
and  a  chamberlain,  that  of  the  Prince  Imperial  by  an  aide- 
de-camp  and  his  tutor.  If  one  adds  to  these  the  Adjutant- 
General  and  the  prefect  of  the  palace,  the  two  nieces  of  the 
Empress,  their  governess,  the  colonel  or  the  major  of  the 
battalion  stationed  at  the  Tuileries,  and  lastly,  young 
Louis  Conneau,  an  accurate  picture  can  be  obtained  of  the 
gathering  round  the  Imperial  table,  about  twenty  persons 
in  all,  when  there  were  no  invited  guests.  The  gala  dinners 
were  held  in  the  Galerie  de  Diane,  which  terminated  the 
suite  of  State  rooms  on  that  side  of  the  Tuileries. 

On  the  occasion  of  a  great  State  ball  much  the  same 
sort  of  transformation  which  metamorphoses  the  apart- 
ments of  the  average  Parisian  when  he  entertains  his 
guests  at  a  soiree,  happened  at  the  Tuileries. 

The  refreshments  were  served  in  the  Galerie  de  Diane. 
The  Salon  Louis  XIV  and  the  Throne  Room  were 
reserved  for  presentations  and  the  diplomatic  circle, 
whilst  the  hosts  and  their  household  borrowed  for  the 
occasion  the  dining-room  of  the  officers  in  attendance, 
which  room  was  once,  I  believe,  the  drawing-room  of  the 
Empress  Josephine.     After  dinner  we  waited  a  few  mo 

69 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

ments  in  the  adjoining  room,  known  as  the  Salle  de 
Felix.1  This  was  an  apartment  filled  to  overflowing  with 
a  varied  assortment  of  incongruous  objects,  ranging  from 
some  extraordinary  paintings,  the  work  of  a  Siamese 
prince,  to  models  of  new  rifles  submitted  to  the  Emperor 
by  unknown  inventors. 

We  then  returned  to  the  Empress's  private  suite  of 
rooms,  where  we  awaited  the  hour  to  form  the  State 
procession  and  make  a  solemn  entry  from  the  Galerie 
de  Diane  into  the  Salon  Louis  XIV. 

I  shall  not  describe  the  State  balls  beyond  saying  that 
I  received  an  entirely  new  impression,  which  was  almost 
a  revelation  to  me,  of  the  beauty  of  the  Empress  when  I 
first  saw  her  seated  beside  the  Emperor  on  a  raised  dais, 
whilst  the  Quadrille  d'Honneur  was  danced  before  them 
in  the  Salle  des  Marechaux.  Under  the  glow  of  the 
chandeliers,  her  brow  encircled  with  a  dazzling  halo  of 
diamonds,  and  enveloped  in  the  splendor  of  her  Imperial 
mantle,  she  found  again  all  the  glory  of  her  youth.  I 
could  trace  in  her  features  and  in  her  eyes  that  suggestion 
of  dreamy  languor  which  may  have  exprest  no  more 
than  the  vague  weariness  of  a  mind  idly  bored  with  the 
emptiness  of  official  pomp.  How  beautiful  she  was  then, 
yet  how  much  less  alive  than  at  our  informal  evenings ! 

I  shall  say  nothing  more  about  the  State  functions, 
nor  about  the  "Mondays"  or  the  concerts;  all  these  have 
been,  or  will  be,  described  by  pens  skilled  in  such  work. 
I  have  likewise  nothing  to  say  about  the  State  dinners. 
The  Prince  was  hardly  ever  present  at  them,  which  made 
it  unnecessary  for  his   tutor  to   attend.     The   "family 

1  Felix  was  the  chief  of  the  ushers,  an  eccentric  and  humorous  personage,  who 
was  a  mine  of  information  about  a  host  of  matters  hidden  from  the  vulgar.  There- 
fore the  classically-minded  Conti  invariably  referred  to  him  as  "Felix  qui  potuit 
rerum  cognoscere  causas." 

70 


The   Napoleonic   Mark 


dinners"  alone  have  remained  vivid  in  my  memory,  not 
because  the  silver-gilt  dinner  service  presented  by  the 
City  of  Paris  to  Napoleon  I  was  always  used  on  these 
occasions,  or  because  we  ate  our  strawberries  and  cream 
on  Sevres  dessert  plates  upon  which  some  great  artist 
had  painted  a  Sevigne  or  a  Montespan,  but  because  these 
dinners  were  of  special  interest  owing  to  the  presence  of 
all  the  members  of  the  Bonaparte  family,  who  reproduced 
every  shade  and  variation  of  the  original  type,  each  of 
them  the  heir  to  some  particle  of  the  personality  of  the 
great  Emperor. 

My  eyes  would  continually  wander  from  Prince  Na- 
poleon to  Cardinal  Bonaparte,  then  to  the  Comtesse 
Primoli,  the  daughter  of  King  Joseph,  or  to  Prince  Lucien, 
son  of  the  Prince  de  Canino.  The  prince-philosopher, 
the  pious  timid  priest,  the  old  scholar  deep  in  his  studies 
of  pisciculture  and  philology,  the  literature-loving  Princess 
who  was  a  bit  of  a  blue-stocking — all  these  had  upon  them 
the  Napoleonic  mark,  and  knew  it. 

But  it  was  a  silent  vision,  as  the  military  band  played 
at  these  dinners  and  rendered  conversation  impossible. 
On  ordinary  occasions  we  never  missed  a  single  word 
spoken  by  the  Empress;  unfortunately  ours  were  not  the 
only  ears  which  listened  to  the  frank  and  outspoken 
comments  on  people  and  things  which  sometimes  escaped 
from  her  lips.  Many  of  these  remarks  were  quoted  the 
next  morning  in  the  newspapers,  and  one  journalist  in 
particular  was  most  to  be  dreaded,  as  he  was  the  most 
accurate  in  his  revelations.  I  do  not  remember  his  real 
nom-de-plume,  so  I  will  describe  him  by  that  of 
"Testis." 

One  evening,  when  the  Empress  was  playfully  alluding 
to  those  people  who  treated  her  with  little  respect,  she 

7i 


Recollections   of  the    Empress   Eugenie 

said,  laughing  lightly:  "Well,  I  only  hope  'Testis'  is  not 
present." 

"  'Testis'  was  present,  Madame,"  wrote  the  unknown 
in  the  morning  edition  of  the  paper  where  the  harmless 
incident  was  fully  described.  The  explanation  was,  how- 
ever, quite  simple.  The  majority  of  the  servants  at  the 
Tuileries  were  respectable,  loyal  persons,  but  there  were 
some  exceptions.  Others  again,  whilst  well-intentioned 
and  proof  against  bribery,  were  foolish  enough  to  let  them- 
selves be  drawn  into  talking.  It  came  out  that  the  son  of 
one  of  the  stewards,  who  had  been  well  educated  at  the 
expense  of  the  Empress,  had  risen  to  the  position  of  editor 
of  one  of  the  Opposition  newspapers,  whose  methods  were 
those  of  calumny  and  insult.  This  man  was  naturally  in  a 
position  to  hear  all  that  transpired  at  the  Tuileries,  and  he 
used  his  knowledge  in  the  manner  described. 

After  dinner  the  men  retired  downstairs  to  smoke,  as 
the  Emperor's  cigaret  alone  was  permitted  in  the  salon, 
where  he  sat  at  the  end  of  the  table  absorbed  in  playing 
patience.  The  children  played  in  the  Throne  Room,  for 
children  will  be  children  all  the  world  over,  and  the  Throne 
and  the  heavy  draperies  of  its  canopy  were  ideally  suited 
to  a  game  of  hide-and-seek.  Sometimes  they  acted  char- 
ades which  were  arranged  by  M.  de  Valabregue,  who 
claimed  to  be  an  expert  in  such  trifles.  But  apart  from  the 
fun  of  dressing  up  in  an  old  pelisse,  or  else  pretending  to  be 
a  bear,  with  a  fur  muff  over  one's  head,  or  the  joy  of  black- 
ing one's  face  with  burnt  cork,  I  cannot  remember  that 
these  charades  achieved  any  very  great  measure  of  success. 

Occasionally  the  Empress  would  take  one  of  us  with 
her  into  a  quiet  corner,  and  then  one  of  those  interminable 
conversations  would  begin,  of  the  duration  of  which  she 

was  never  conscious.     Those  who  grew  tired  of  standing 

72 


Evenings   at    the    Tuileries 


would  withdraw  and  seek  a  seat  in  another  room.  She 
never  noticed  anything,  especially  if  she  was  relating  a 
story:  she  was  very  fond  of  doing  this,  and  she  told  her 
stories  extremely  well. 

Whenever  she  wanted  to  think,  and  not  to  talk,  she 
would  say  to  the  maids  of  honor:  "Are  we  not  going  to 
have  a  little  music  this  evening?"  and  one  after  the  other 
the  poor  girls  would  go  to  the  piano  with  an  air  of  resigna- 
tion, and  there  followed  a  certain  amount  of  noise,  to 
which  those  present  were  supposed  to  listen. 

Sometimes  the  Emperor  summoned  us  all  to  play  cards, 
and  in  order  to  stimulate  the  players  without  rousing  the 
passions  of  the  gambler,  each  person  received  a  certain 
number  of  new  coins  fresh  from  the  Mint.  But  no  sooner 
did  the  Emperor  notice  that  the  card-players  had  begun  to 
use  their  own  money  than  he  instantly  terminated  the 
game.  Card-playing,  like  music,  was  only  a  means  of  fil- 
ling up  the  evening  and  making  some  pretense  of  occupa- 
tion during  those  long  hours  of  idleness — an  idleness  which 
covered  up  the  consuming  activity  of  public  life. 

I  have  often  wondered  what  thoughts  crossed  the  mind 
of  Napoleon  III  as  he  sat  arranging  his  endless  patience — 
which,  by  the  way,  he  would  occasionally  "dodge" — or  as 
he  played  trente-et-un  with  us.  Did  he,  the  once  absolute 
monarch,  regret  the  power  which  he  had,  already,  half 
abdicated? 

His  thoughts,  however,  remained  a  mystery  to  us.  We 
guessed  a  little  of  what  troubled  them  both  from  the 
jumpy  and  highly  strung  state  in  which  we  sometimes  saw 
the  Empress.  When  the  Prince  had  gone  to  bed  and  the 
Emperor  had  retired  to  his  study,  the  Empress,  left  alone 
with  us,  would  ask  us  to  read  her  the  reports  of  the  public 
meetings.    Paris  was  then  alive  with  these  meetings  when 

73 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

everything  and  everybody  connected  with  the  Empire  was 
grossly  insulted  by  Megy,  Theophore  Budaille  and  other 
grotesque  celebrities  of  the  time  whose  very  names  are  now 
forgotten.  It  was  a  cruel  ordeal — as  I  know  from  bitter 
experience — for  the  person  who  had  the  duty  to  read  out 
before  the  Empress  these  offensive  ravings.  If  one 
stopt  in  confusion  she  insisted  upon  hearing  everything, 
upon  draining  the  cup  of  bitterness  to  the  dregs.  I  can  see 
her  now  listening  with  a  kind  of  melancholy  resignation, 
occasionally  broken  by  a  start  of  pain.  One  could  feel 
already  the  revolutionary  blast.  All  these  speeches,  of 
which  she  tasted  the  venom,  drop  by  drop,  were  signs  of 
moral  insurrection.  Sometimes  facts  followed  words,  and 
the  tumult  of  the  streets  reached  our  ears.  Here  are  some 
notes  I  wrote  on  returning  to  my  room  during  the  "white 
overalls"  riots  in  Paris  after  the  elections  of  1869: 

"To-night,  gala  soiree  in  honor  of  the  Queen  of 
Holland  and  the  Grand-Duchess  Marie  of  Russia.  The 
Empress  presented  me  to  the  Queen,  saying  as  she  did 
so,  'This  is  M.  Filon,  my  little  boy's  tutor!'  A  State  din- 
ner, a  command  performance,  a  ball,  and  then  supper. 
During  the  performance  telegram  after  telegram  is 
brought  the  Emperor,  who  opens  none  of  them  but  contin- 
ues to  applaud  the  actors  with  the  greatest  unconcern. 
Everyone  seems  anxious  and  ill  at  ease,  and  many  throw 
involuntary  glances  at  the  windows  which  look  on  the 
Place  du  Carrousel,  over  which  an  angry  mob  is  swarming. 
Waldteufel's  orchestra  plays  its  most  entrancing  waltzes, 
and  five  or  six  couples  venture  on  the  floor.  Waltzing, 
to-night,  is  an  act  of  loyalty  to  the  Empire.  When  the 
music  stops  we  can  hear  the  yells  of  the  mob  under  the 
charges  of  the  police.  At  supper  there  are  many  empty 
tables:  to  sup  is  also  a  proof  of  courage." 

74 


A   Comparison  with   Marie  Antoinette 

All  our  evenings,  during  long  weeks,  were  more  or  less 
like  that  one.  It  was  impossible  not  to  call  to  mind  the 
scenes  which  had  been  enacted  in  this  very  palace  eighty 
years  previously,  and  that  other  Queen  who  had  gone 
through  the  same  mental  anguish.  I  became  obsessed 
with  this  comparison,  and  it  was  with  this  thought  that  I 
then  read  Madame  Campan's  "Memoirs."  I  described, 
in  a  letter  to  my  mother,  the  impression  made  upon  me  by 
their  perusal  in  the  following  terms : 

"It  is  extraordinary  how  much  our  own  Empress  re- 
sembles poor  Marie  Antoinette.  The  similarity  is  most 
striking,  especially  in  their  manner  of  treating  their 
entourage  and  in  their  friendships.  One  finds  in  both  the 
same  love  of  homely  amusements;  the  same  passion  for 
arranging,  ornamenting  and  changing  their  surroundings; 
the  same  desire  to  please;  the  same  haughtiness,  followed 
by  bursts  of  sentimental  emotion;  the  same  vivacity,  bro- 
ken by  short  fits  of  melancholy  and  bitterness.  I  find  in 
the  pages  of  good  Madame  Campan  remarks  which  I  can 
fancy  myself  hearing  from  the  Empress's  lips.  I  think  I 
may  add,  too,  that  in  both  one  sees  the  same  moral  virtue 
and  the  same  innocence  of  heart,  and  again  that  desire  to 
be  popular,  rather  with  the  masses  than  with  individuals. 
Please  God  the  conclusion  of  the  drama  may  be  different!" 

At  this  juncture  one  question  naturally  arises:  What 
was,  in  sober  fact,  the  part  actually  played  by  the  Empress 
in  politics  ?  What  was  this  political  role  of  hers,  which  has 
been  so  strangely  exaggerated  and  distorted,  alike  by  the 
enemies  and  by  the  friends  of  the  Empire? 

I  should  like  to  give  an  answer  to  this  question;  but, 
having  been  an  eye-witness  only  of  the  latter  days,  and  my 
personal  knowledge  of  the  Empress's  political  action  being 
limited  to  the  period  of  her  last  Regency,  that  is  to  say  the 

75 


Recollections   of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

weeks  immediately  preceding  the  fall  of  the  Empire,  I  can 
only  reply,  for  the  events  previous  to  my  arrival  at  the 
Tuileries,  on  general  impressions  fortified  by  some  remin- 
iscences of  the  Empress  herself  and  on  my  own  knowledge 
of  her  character,  which  I  believe  to  be  accurate.  The 
reader  can  accept  or  reject  my  evidence,  according  to  the 
value  he  attaches  to  the  writer's  judgment. 

Up  to  the  year  i860,  to  the  best  of  my  belief,  the  pop- 
ular verdict  on  the  Empress  was  that  dress  and  chiffons 
absorbed  her  entire  attention.  It  was  from  the  day  when 
the  question  of  Italian  unity  was  definitely  raised  and 
when  this  unity,  already  half  achieved,  began  to  threaten 
the  temporal  power  of  the  Pope,  that  whispers  began  to  be 
started  about  the  political  influence  of  the  Empress.  She 
was  said  to  have  her  "set" — even,  it  was  rumored,  her 
"party."  I  wonder  who  first  invented  this  "party"  of  the 
Empress's?  Certainly  not  the  Empress,  and  as  certainly 
not  the  members  of  the  "party,"  since  none  existed! 
During  my  three  years  of  Court  life  I  could  never  discover 
the  least  trace  of  this  imaginary  party.  Were  the  enemies 
of  the  Empire,  then,  the  originators  of  the  legend  ?  Doubt- 
less they  seized  upon  this  political  myth  and  exploited  it 
for  all  it  was  worth,  but  the  true  origin  of  it  was  quite 
different. 

Strange  to  say,  it  was  the  Emperor  himself  who  first  set 
the  ball  rolling,  and  the  idea  was  suggested  to  him  by  a 
woman,  gifted  with  more  brains  than  conscience.  This 
woman  had  formerly  been  his  mistress,  and  she  intended  to 
remain  his  confidential  adviser.  Her  beauty  had  quickly 
faded,  but  she  hoped  to  maintain  her  position  by  sheer 
force  of  intellect,  and  to  become  the  close  friend  and 
trusted  counselor  of  her  whom  she  had  betrayed.  The 
Empress  did  not  fathom  the  secret  of  this  machiavellian 

76 


A    Fallacy   Exposed 


plot,  but  she  showed  no  willingness  to  fall  in  with  the 
scheme,  which  she  did  not  understnd.  The  idea  of 
setting  herself  up  in  opposition  to  the  Emperor,  from 
whom  she  had  derived  all  her  notions  of  politics  and  in 
whose  wisdom  she  placed  implicit  reliance,  would  never 
have  occurred  to  her.  Still  less  could  she  have  conceived 
that  the  Emperor  found  it  to  his  advantage  to  allow  people 
to  believe  in  such  a  divergence  of  policy.  Yet  this  was 
indeed  the  fact. 

For  the  policy  of  the  Emperor  had  actually  reached  an 
important  turning-point.  During  the  previous  eight  years 
it  had  been  characterized  by  great  directness  and  by  vigor- 
ous unity  at  home  and  abroad;  it  now  appeared  to  waver 
and  hesitate.  Napoleon  III  had  resolved  to  organize 
French  democracy  onrarliamentary  lines,  and  he  felt  the 
need  of  establishing,  outside  the  Crown,  two  great  political 
parties  upon  which  he  could  lean  alternately  and  which 
would  ensure  the  play  of  free  institutions.  The  Italian 
question  provided  two  convenient  platforms  on  which  these 
two  parties  could  organize  themselves.  Each  of  them, 
however,  was  to  supplement  its  attitude  on  this  question 
by  a  program  of  action,  or  of  reaction,  in  home  politics. 
One  party  should  urge  the  Empire  forward  towards  great 
liberal  and  democratic  reforms,  the  other  would  hark 
back  to  the  regime  of  1852,  would  insist  on  the  important 
part  to  be  played  by  the  Church  in  national  education  and 
in  social  management,  and  would  keep  open  before  the 
fighting  services  vistas  of  great  and  distant  adventures. 

This  two-party  system  has  been  called  the  policy  of 
"see-saw,"  because  people  will  always  find  ugly  names  to 
stigmatize  unsuccessful  enterprises  or  still-born  projects. 
Yet  nothing  could  have  been  more  logical  or  more  feasible, 
had    these   two   parties    accepted   the   Emperor,    as    the 

77 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Emperor  accepted  them.  Could  he  reasonably  foresee 
that  these  two  sets  of  men,  whom  everything  seemed  to 
divide,  would  eventually  unite  against  him,  welded  to- 
gether by  a  common  hatred? 

In  i860  and  during  the  years  that  followed  it  was 
necessary  for  the  Emperor  to  encourage  both  parties  and 
to  maintain  the  balance  between  them.  Now  he  had 
already  given  pledges  to  carbonarism  and  even  to  social- 
ism. The  memories  of  the  Romagna  rebellion,  the  writ- 
ings of  the  prisoner  of  Ham,  not  to  speak  of  the  letter 
to  Edgar  Ney,  were  so  many  guarantees  of  good  faith  to 
the  Liberals.  The  problem  was  to  find  a  counterpoise  to 
these  various  indications,  which  pointed  to  the  Emperor  as 
being  more  or  less  consciously  sympathetic  with  the  aims 
of  Garibaldi.  The  solution  was  to  allow  the  clerical  party 
and  the  ultramontanes  to  imagine  that  the  Empress  was 
on  their  side,  and  that  her  influence  was  being  constantly 
exerted  in  their  favor.  Such  was  the  origin  of  the 
"Empress's  party." 

Eugenie  was  a  Spaniard;  it  was  easy  to  believe  her 
superstitious.  And  so  people  pictured  her  ever  kneeling 
on  the  flagged  stones  in  old  cathedrals,  telling  her  beads 
in  trance-like  contemplation  of  the  lighted  tapers  which 
burned  before  the  shrines  of  Notre  Dame  del  Pilar  or 
Notre  Dame  d'Atocha.  The  picture,  however,  would  have 
been  very  different  had  they  known  of  her  childhood  in 
Paris,  of  the  liberal  atmosphere  in  which  she  grew  up, 
storing  up  in  her  mind,  not  saintly  legends,  but  Napoleonic 
memories,  as  she  sat  on  the  knee  of  the  author  of  the 
"Chartreuse  de  Parme."  She  was,  indeed,  far  less  super- 
stitious than  the  Emperor,  who  wore  constantly  on  his 
person,  as  protecting  talismans,  written  prayers  sent  to 
him  by  unknown  women  and  even  a  medallion  given  him 

78 


The   "  Party   of  the   Empress ,! 

by  Mile.  Dejazet  before  his  escape  from  Ham.  It  would  be 
an  exaggeration  to  say  that  she  was  excessively  pious,  for 
her  religious  practices  were  moderate,  and  at  no  time  of  her 
life  did  she  surround  herself  with  priests.  She  was  just  a 
good  Catholic — and  no  more.  Her  respect  for  priests 
never  went  to  the  length  of  allowing  them  to  interfere 
with  her  own  line  of  conduct,  and  I  think  she  was  very  far 
indeed  from  approving  the  notion  that  they  should  regu- 
late the  affairs  of  the  community.  I  suppose,  although  I 
have  never  heard  her  say  so,  that  she  believed  in  the  neces- 
sity of  temporal  power  to  enable  the  Pope  to  maintain  his 
independence  and  dignity,  but  she  could  not  forget 
the  ingratitude  which  the  Papacy  had  shown  Napoleon, 
and  in  this,  as  in  everything  else,  she  was  at  one  with  her 
husband.  If  there  was  a  party  of  the  Empress,  she  never 
belonged  to  it;  she  belonged  to  the  Emperor's  party.  In 
the  same  way  that  the  wife  of  a  lawyer  takes  especial 
interest  in  his  cases  and  the  wife  of  a  poet  in  the  success  of 
her  husband's  books,  as  the  wife  of  an  artist  often  suggests 
ideas  for  his  pictures,  is  enthusiastic  for  such  and  such  a 
school  of  painting,  dreams  of  the  medaille  (Phonneur  or  the 
Institute  and  loathes  the  critic  who  speaks  slightingly  of 
his  work,  just  as  the  wife  of  an  officer  pores  over  the 
Army  List,  has  all  the  promotions  at  her  finger-ends  and 
shudders  at  rumors  of  war,  so  did  the  Empress  take  her 
full  share  of  everything,  happy  or  tragic,  that  touched 
the  Emperor. 

She  had  certainly,  in  politics,  her  ideals,  or,  if  one 
prefers  it,  her  Utopias;  but  politics  as  a  business  she 
abhorred.  When  she  was  at  Camden  Place  during  the 
Emperor's  captivity  she  often  showed  me  letters  contain- 
ing a  thousand  and  one  more  or  less  silly  suggestions 
written  from  Geneva  or  Brussels  by  former  ladies  of  the 

79 


Recollections    of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

Court  who  imagined  themselves  gifted  with  political  in- 
stinct. The  Empress  would  say,  in  handing  me  the 
letters:  "Can  you  conceive  of  any  woman  wanting  to 
meddle  in  politics  unless  she  is  driven  to  it  by  circum- 
stances?"   The  last  was  unfortunately  her  case. 

I  have  already  stated  that  she  was  Napoleon  Ill's 
second  conscience.  She  put  at  his  service  her  gift  of  in- 
tuition, her  unerring  instinct,  and  he,  who  was  a  firm 
believer  in  the  power  of  intuition  and  the  infallibility  of 
instinct,  consulted  his  wife  as  some  persons  consult  a 
medium.1  Often  he  disregarded  her  advice;  sometimes, 
after  accepting  it,  he  changed  his  mind,  but  she  never  took 
it  ill. 

One  evening,  during  the  riots  in  1869,  of  which  I  have 
already  spoken,  the  Emperor  took  his  wife's  arm,  intend- 
ing to  pay  a  surprise  visit  to  a  detachment  of  a  line  regi- 
ment billeted  in  the  great  hall  known  as  the  "Galerie  du 
bord  de  l'eau."  There  were  rumors  of  risings  in  several 
districts  of  Paris,  and  there  was  a  possibility  of  the  palace 
being  attacked;  hence  the  presence  of  the  troops.  The 
men  were  having  their  dinner,  probably  a  much  better 
meal  than  usual,  and  it  was  expected  that  the  arrival  of  the 
Sovereigns  would  electrify  their  loyalty. 

"Let  us  go,"  assented  the  Empress;  but  she  had  not 
yet  reached  the  Galerie  de  Diane  when  she  stopt  dead. 
"This  will  remind  everyone  of  the  dinner  of  October  2, 
1789,  of  Louis  XVI  and  Marie  Antoinette  at  the  banquet 

1  The  high  opinion  which  the  Emperor  had  of  the  political  talents  of  the  Empress 
has  already  been  referred  to.  He  was,  however,  mistaken  in  her  powers  when 
he  tried  to  use  her  for  diplomatic  negotiations,  and  I  believe  Baron  de  Hub- 
ner's  revelations,  in  his  Memoirs,  concerning  these  attempts  and  their  fail- 
ure, to  be  entirely  correct.  Evidently  the  Empress  must  have  been  a  very 
poor  diplomat,  if  the  art  of  Diplomacy  consists  in  being  able  to  conceal  one's 
real  intentions,  to  appear  indifferent  when  one  is  consumed  with  anxiety,  and,  like 
Musset's  dancing  master,  to  look  to  the    right  when  one  wants  to  go  to    the  left. 

80 


The    Empress   on    Reform 


of  the  Body  Guards!"  I  heard  her  say,  as  I  was  standing 
quite  near.  "Don't  you  think  so?"  she  added  turning  to 
me,  evidently  appealing  to  me  as  to  a  witness,  for  she 
could  not  have  thought  for  a  moment  that  I  could  have 
presumed  to  offer  advice  to  my  Sovereign.  I  answered 
by  a  vague  gesture,  and  the  others  present  did  likewise. 
She  pursued  the  subject  for  some  time,  speaking  excitedly. 
The  Emperor  returned  to  the  drawing-room  without 
saying  a  word;  but  the  next  evening,  the  circumstances 
being  unchanged,  the  projected  visit  was  carried  out. 

In  September,  1903,  the  Empress  talked  to  me  very 
frankly  about  these  bygone  days.  "I  was  always  op- 
posed," she  said,  "to  the  idea  of  the  Emperor  going  any 
further  in  his  liberal  reforms.  In  my  view  he  should  have 
remained  as  he  was,  and  political  freedom  would  have  been 
the  gift  of  his  son's  accession." 

"Did  your  Majesty  consider,"  I  answered,  "the  pos- 
sible upheaval  which  might  then  have  taken  place  in  a 
great  country  like  ours,  suddenly  emancipated  without 
preparation  or  experience,  and  intoxicated  with  its  free- 
dom after  so  many  years  of  subjection?  What  might  not 
have  happened  in  such  a  case,  under  an  inexperienced 
Prince,  perhaps  during  a  Minority?" 

"I  relied,"  replied  the  Empress,  "on  the  generosity  of 
the  French  nation." 

However  this  might  be,  she  had  accepted  the  Emperor's 
decision,  and  felt  that  the  experiment,  once  begun,  had  to 
be  loyally  carried  out.  She  says  this  herself  in  a  letter 
which  most  certainly  was  not  intended  for  publication. 
The  members  of  the  Commission  which  dealt  with  the 
"Papers  found  at  the  Tuileries"  thought  fit  to  see  in  it 
only  the  mistakes  in  spelling.  History  will  find  in  it,  I 
believe,  indisputable  evidence  of  the  good  faith,  sense  and 

81 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

patriotism  of  the  Empress.    The  letter,  which  is  addrest 
to  the  Emperor,  runs  as  follows: 

"My  very  dear  Louis, 

"I  am  writing  to  you  on  my  way  down  the  Nile.  .-.  . 
I  have  news  of  you  and  of  Louis  every  day  by  telegraph. 
This  is  wonderful  and  very  delightful  to  me,  for  I  feel 
linked  with  my  dear  home  shores  by  this  wire  which  con- 
nects me  with  all  I  love.  .  .  . 

"I  was  very  worried  about  yesterday's  event,  and  to 
know  that  you  were  in  Paris  without  me,  but  all  went  well, 
as  I  see  by  your  telegram.  ...  I  feel  that  you  must  not 
get  disheartened  and  that  you  should  persevere  in  the 
course  you  have  mapped  out.  ...  I  hope  you  will  take 
this  line  in  your  address. 

"I  am  perhaps  too  far  away  and  out  of  touch  with 
events  to  speak  in  this  way,  but  I  feel  thoroughly  con- 
vinced that  continuity  of  policy  is  the  only  real  strength. 
I  dislike  violent  changes,  and  do  not  believe  that  it  is  pos- 
sible to  bring  off  a  coup  d'etat  twice  in  one  reign.  I  am 
really  talking  at  random,  for  I  am  preaching  to  one  con- 
verted, and  who  knows  more  of  the  subject  than  I  do,  but 
I  must  say  something  if  only  to  prove  to  you  what  you 
know  already,  that  my  heart  is  near  to  you  both ;  and  if, 
on  peaceful  days,  my  truant  mind  loves  to  wander  off  into 
space,  it  is  with  the  two  of  you  I  want  to  be  when  trouble 
and  anxiety  are  near.  Here,  far  from  men  and  things, 
there  is  an  atmosphere  of  peace  which  does  good  to  the 
soul,  and  I  am  apt  to  fancy  that  all  is  well,  because  I  know 
nothing." 

This  letter,  which  I  have  not  given  in  its  entirety,  is  an 

invaluable  document,  as  from  it  one  could  reconstruct  the 

82 


Emile   Ollivier's   Ministry 


whole  character  of  the  Empress  if  all  other  evidence  were 
missing.  It  is  all  there — her  outspoken  candor  tempered 
by  real  humility,  her  fundamental  and  incorruptible  sin- 
cerity, with  that  combination  of  heroism  and  shrewdness, 
of  common  sense  and  imagination,  which  made  of  this 
Spaniard  a  perfect  Frenchwoman,  and  with  that  direct  and 
simple  tenderness  as  wife  and  mother,  so  different  from 
that  tragic  and  grandiose  attitude  which  some  people 
would  make  us  believe  was  hers.  Above  all  it  is  easy  to  see 
in  what  sense  and  to  what  extent  she  felt  herself  entitled  to 
give  advice,  and  the  tone  she  adopted  in  doing  so.  In 
nine  cases  out  of  ten  she  was  the  echo  of  the  Emperor's 
own  thoughts. 

When  the  Ministry  of  January  2,  1870,  came  into 
office,  M.  Emile  Ollivier's  first  act  was  to  preclude  the 
Empress  from  attending  the  Council  of  Ministers  as  she 
had  done  for  so  many  years.  During  our  conversation 
of  September,  1903,  she  reminded  me  of  this,  and  I 
criticized  severely  the  action  of  the  then  Prime  Minister. 
"But  why  blame  him?"  she  replied.  "After  all,  it  was 
quite  a  logical  conclusion  that  I  had  no  further  need  to 
learn  a  business  with  which  I  had  no  more  to  do." 

We  shall  see  later  that  circumstances  compelled  her 
return  to  the  effective  chairmanship  of  the  Council  of 
Ministers,  and  M.  Ollivier  himself  had  to  beg  her  to  attend. 
But  that  day  was  as  yet  distant,  and  a  feeling  of  optimism 
prevailed  in  Parliamentary  and  Ministerial  circles.  This 
feeling  of  optimism  spread  even  to  the  palace,  on  the 
morrow  of  the  plebiscite,  and  for  a  moment  I  could  believe 
that  the  Empire  would  endure. 


83 


CHAPTER  V 

THE  REGENCY  (July  28-August  7,  1870) 

SAINT  CLOUD  had  never  seemed  more  beautiful 
than  in  the  summer  of  1870,  and  never  had  I  felt  so 
intensely  the  atmosphere  of  majestic  repose  which, 
for  me,  belongs  to  this  great  residence.  Altho  the  pleb- 
iscite of  May  8  had  not  produced  all  the  results  hoped 
for,  it  had  greatly  deprest  the  extremists,  and  this  feel- 
ing of  discouragement  had  brought  the  Government  ap- 
preciable relief.  This  state  of  affairs  was  very  welcome  to 
us  after  the  constant  unrest  and  excitement  of  the  last 
year.  We  still  dared  not  hope  for  permanent  happiness 
in  the  future,  but  we  began  to  believe  in  the  possibility  of 
a   peaceful   to-morrow! 

There  was,  however,  no  question  of  entertaining;  the 
only  wish  of  the  sovereigns  was  for  complete  rest  and 
quiet.  Those  who  had  known  the  Court  ten  or  twelve 
years  earlier  in  the  days  of  the  great  cocodettes  would 
never  have  recognized  it.  "The  Court  is  nothing  but  a 
boarding-school,"  said  one  of  the  gentlemen  in  the  smok- 
ing-room. And  another  replied  in  an  acid  tone:  "You 
mean  a  nursery!"  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  two  nieces  of 
the  Empress,  the  two  daughters  of  Mme.  Walewska  (the 
elder  of  whom  was  almost  a  child),  the  Prince  and  his 
friend  Louis  Conneau  constituted  a  very  youthful  group, 
which  was  reinforced  by  the  two  maids  of  honor,  Mile. 
de  Larminat  and  Mile.  d'Elbee.  This  happy,  playful, 
chattering  world,  disturbed  only  by  passing  quarrels,  was 
indeed  vastly  different  from  the  atmosphere  of  intrigue 

and  plotting  of  a  former  day. 

84 


Lull   Before   Tempest 


My  room,  on  the  second  floor,  looked  out  on  the  great 
avenue  of  chestnut  trees  which  stretches  on  a  long  upward 
slope  behind  the  chateau  in  the  direction  of  Villeneuve. 

From  this  sanctum  I  could  often  hear  someone  strum- 
ming on  the  piano,  someone  else  reading  aloud,  peals  of 
laughter,  which  echoed  from  room  to  room  and  were  lost 
at  last  in  the  vastness  of  the  chateau.  Then  silence  fell, 
a  deep  silence,  unbroken  save  for  the  incessant  whispering 
of  the  leaves  and  the  distant  murmur  of  the  fountains.  In 
this  peaceful  environment  it  was  easy  to  forget  the  exis- 
tence of  that  great  city  ever  seething  with  feverish  agita- 
tion, but  which  was  nevertheless  still  discernible,  envel- 
oped in  its  curtain  of  mist,  from  the  highest  windows  of 
the  eastern  front  of  the  palace. 

Twice  a  week,  about  ten  o'clock,  a  strange  procession 
ascended  the  slope  and  entered  the  courtyard  of  the 
palace.  This  procession  consisted  of  a  string  of  about  ten 
carriages,  in  which  sat  the  Ministers  who  had  come  to 
attend  the  council,  and  who  would  afterwards  lunch  with 
the  Imperial  family  and  the  members  of  the  household. 
These  gentlemen  took  good  care  never  to  mention  politics 
to  us,  and  as  soon  as  they  were  gone  Saint  Cloud  resumed 
its  appearance  of  melancholy  and  lonely  grandeur,  which 
was  only  disturbed  by  the  sound  of  childish  voices  in  some 
distant  corners. 

I  have  delayed  almost  involuntarily  to  recall  the  mem- 
ories of  these  last  untroubled  days,  this  final  lull  before 
the  tempest  burst  which  was  to  sweep  away  the 
palace  and  those  who  lived  in  it.  I  can  remember  nothing 
very  definite  occurring  at  this  time,  and  no  particular  inci- 
dent excepting  Prevost-Paradol's  visit  to  the  Empress. 
This  was  not  long  before  the  final  catastrophe,  and  Pre- 
vost-Paradol  had  just  accepted  the  position  of  Minister 

85 


Recollections   of   the   Empress   Eugenie 

at  Washington:  he  had  been  advised  to  make  this  visit, 
and  he  had  agreed,  I  imagine,  with  no  great  enthusiasm. 
The  Empress,  however,  who  was  very  anxious  to  create  a 
good  impression  on  M.  Prevost-Paradol,  made  careful  en- 
quiries about  him,  gave  particular  instructions  for  his 
reception,  and  told  me  to  receive  him  and  present  him 
to  her. 

I  therefore  met  Prevost-Paradol  as  he  entered  the  first 
drawing-room,  and  introduced  myself.  "The  Empress," 
I  said,  "wishes  that  an  old  student  of  the  Ecole  Normale 
should  act  as  her  chamberlain  to-day,  in  order  that  you 
may  feel  at  home  and  with  friends  from  the  moment  you 
cross  this  threshold."  He  smiled,  but  said  nothing:  per- 
haps because  he  was  at  a  loss  how  to  reply,  perhaps  be- 
cause he  was  out  of  breath  through  having  come  upstairs 
too  quickly.  When  he  left  at  the  end  of  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  he  was  equally  taciturn,  and  gave  no  hint  of  the  im- 
pression he  had  received. 

The  Empress  pronounced  his  manners  perfect,  but 
she  seemed  slightly  disconcerted,  and,  to  be  plain,  a  little 
disappointed  by  his  chilling  attitude;  the  greatness  of  the 
man  had  not  been  apparent. 

The  days  which  elapsed  between  the  first  rumors  of 
war  and  the  departure  of  the  Emperor  to  join  the  army 
have  left  me  nothing  beyond  the  chaotic  and  confused 
memories  of  a  dreadful  nightmare.  Hardly  had  we  been 
alarmed  by  the  candidature  of  a  Hohenzollern  Prince  for 
the  Spanish  throne  than  our  minds  were  set  at  ease  by 
his  father's  renunciation  of  his  son's  claims,  but  no  sooner 
did  we  breathe  freely  than  some  new  cause  for  anxiety 
arose.  One  day  it  was  Emile  Ollivier  who  startled  the 
echoes  of  the  Palais-Bourbon  with  his  famous  words: 
"The  incident  is   closed!"   and  the  next  day  we  were 

86 


Outbreak   of  War 


confronted  by  the  bellicose  note  issued  by  the  Due  de 
Gramont  demanding  a  formal  renunciation,  present  and 
future,  on  the  part  of  the  head  of  the  House  of  Hohen- 
zollern,  the  King  of  Prussia  himself.  The  Ems  incident 
was  the  retort  to  this  note,  and  was  itself  answered  by  a 
declaration  of  war.  We  had  no  time  to  collect  our 
thoughts,  or  even  to  breathe,  and  we  passed  from  a  state 
of  complete  security  and  pleasant  lethargy  to  one  of  the 
most  intense  anxiety. 

What  were  the  thoughts  of  the  Emperor?  His  thoughts 
were  a  complete  mystery  to  us  all;  even  the  former  mem- 
bers of  the  household  who  were  deputies1  had  to 
ask  for  a  special  audience  whenever  they  wished  to  dis- 
cuss any  political  question  with  him. 

I  have  seen  the  Marquis  d'Havrincourt,  who  exercised 
deservedly  very  considerable  influence  in  Parliament, 
leave  the  palace  after  his  term  of  attendance  lasting  for 
a  fortnight  without  having  exchanged  five  minutes'  con- 
versation with  the  Emperor.  But  in  face  of  this,  if  one 
refers  to  the  newspapers  of  the  day,  they  will  be  found 
full  of  denunciations  against  "the  evil  ascendancy  of  the 
entourage."  M.  Thiers  said  to  all  who  cared  to  listen: 
"We  shall  not  have  war,  the  Emperor  does  not  wish  it." 
I  have  since  known  that  M.  Thiers  was  right.  However, 
on  July  15,  1870,  we  did  not  know  as  much  as  we  do 
now,  and  directly  lunch  with  the  Ministers  was  over,  we 
all  rushed  to  get  the  newspapers  and  read  the  latest  news. 

The  Empress,  as  a  rule,  never  troubled  to  conceal  her 
thoughts,  but  in  these  days  of  doubt  and  waiting  she  felt 
it  necessary  to  be  cautious.  M.  Thiers,  who  knew  the 
truth,  but  who  often  preferred  its  opposite  in  practice,  did 

1  A  recent  law  had  been  passed  requiring  such  members  of  the  household  to  choose 
between  their  office  at  Court  and  their  parliamentary  duties, 

87 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

not  scruple  at  a  later  date  to  circulate  a  fictitious  remark 
which  the  Empress  was  supposed  to  have  made  in  the 
course  of  conversation  with  M.  Lesourd,  a  well-known 
diplomat;  this  remark  would  have  thrown  upon  her  the 
responsibility  for  the  disaster  which  overwhelmed  France. 
In  fact  the  Empress  was  reported  to  have  said  to  M. 
Lesourd:  "This  war  is  my  war!" 

M.  Rouher  sent  for  M.  Lesourd  and  questioned  him: 
"Did  the  Empress  really  say  these  words  to  you?" 

"Never." 

"Then  did  she  say  anything  like  them?" 

"The  Empress  never  said  these  words  or  any  similar 
ones." 

"Are  you  willing  to  put  down  this  statement  in  writing 
and  bear  witness  to  the  truth?" 

"Yes,  certainly." 

"And  will  you  authorize  me  to  publish  it?" 

"Undoubtedly." 

M.  Rouher  took  this  letter  to  the  Empress,  but  he 
thought  it  only  right  to  tell  her  that  M.  Lesourd's  ruin 
was  certain  if  he  gave  the  lie  direct  to  the  head  of  the 
Government,  and  also  that  it  was  necessary  for  M.  Le- 
sourd to  retain  his  employment  in  order  to  live.  The 
Empress  said  nothing,  but  locked  the  letter  away  in  a 
drawer,  where  doubtless  it  has  remained  to  this  day. 

During  our  exile  the  Empress  explained  to  me  with 
the  utmost  frankness  what  she  really  felt,  and  the  part  she 
had  played  when  war  was  declared  between  France  and 
Germany.  What,  then,  was  her  part?  Five  words  will 
suffice.  She  played  no  part  whatever.  As  for  her  feelings, 
they  were  those  of  the  majority  of  Frenchwomen.  She 
had  been  told  that  war  was  inevitable,  and  that  immediate 
action  was  preferable  to  letting  the  chances  of  success 


A    Pilgrimage   to   the   Malmaison 

gradually  diminish  with  the  years.  She  believed  this,  and 
it  is  difficult  to  see  how  she  could  have  done  otherwise,  as 
she  always  deferred  respectfully  to  the  superior  knowl- 
edge of  experts  and  specialists.  She  therefore  accepted 
the  conflict  as  a  painful  necessity. 

As  for  the  Prince  Imperial,  so  soon  as  he  knew  that 
he  would  go  to  the  front  his  delight  was  unbounded,  and 
he  was  rather  vexed  with  me  for  being  so  deprest. 

The  last  excursion  which  the  Empress  made  with  the 
Prince  Imperial  before  he  left  was  a  pilgrimage  to  the 
Malmaison.  We  drove  thither  in  wagonettes,  and  entered 
the  park  by  a  gate  from  the  open  country.  We  crossed 
the  charming  lawns  and  the  bowling-green  where  Bourri- 
enne  had  sighed  for  the  love  of  young  Hortense  de  Beau- 
harnais,  and  when  we  entered  the  house  the  Empress 
acted  as  our  guide. 

"These  are  the  embroidery  wools  belonging  to  the 
Empress  Josephine,"  she  said,  showing  us  a  work-basket 
containing  a  quantity  of  tangled  skeins  of  wool. 

I  was  most  imprest  by  the  First  Consul's  study, 
which  was  an  imitation  of  an  army  tent,  being  draped  with 
striped  blue  and  white  canvas.  But  everything  smelt  of 
damp  and  mildew,  and,  even  on  this  bright  summer  day, 
the  house  and  gardens  had  a  melancholy  and  deserted 
appearance  in  keeping  with  the  sinister  memories  which 
the  name  of  the  place  recalls. 

*  *  *  *  * 

I  was  present  when  the  Emperor  received  the  address 
of  the  Senate.  The  presentation  took  place  in  the  Galerie 
de  Diane  which  extended  almost  entirely  over  the  first 
floor  of  the  left  wing  of  the  Tuileries,  and  was  furnished 
with  antique  cabinets  and  beautiful  bronzes.  I  believe  I 
am  right  in  saying  it  was  in  this  hall  that  the  crown  of 

89 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

France  was  offered  to  Napoleon  I  by  the  representatives 
of   the   nation. 

The  Senators  of  1870  arrived  in  a  state  of  great  ex- 
citement, but  the  gloomy,  almost  dejected  mien  of  the 
Emperor,  so  different  from  his  habitual  public  manner, 
absolutely  froze  the  hearts  of  his  listeners,  and  I  can  still 
see  the  expression  on  their  faces  when  the  Emperor  spoke 
the  words: 

"We  are  about  to  commence  a  long  and  arduous  war." 

After  the  reception  I  heard  many  adverse  comments 
very  freely  exprest. 

It  was  in  this  same  hall,  towards  the  end  of  July — 
the  evening  of  the  27th  if  my  memory  serves  me  right — 
that  all  the  officers  and  ladies  of  the  household  then 
in  residence,  numbering  about  forty,  were  invited  to 
dine  and  bid  farewell  to  the  Emperor  and  the  Prince. 
During  dessert  the  Guards'  band  played  the  "Mar- 
seillaise" for  the  first  time  since  its  prohibition  eight- 
een years  previously.  That  evening,  I  also  remember, 
witnessed  a  wonderful  display  of  shooting  stars,  and  one 
of  the  young  ladies  assured  me  with  the  utmost  gravity 
that  if  we  had  time  to  say  "Victory"  before  the  star  went 
out  the  success  of  our  arms  would  be  a  foregone  conclusion. 

The  Emperor  left  Paris  on  July  28.  The  special  train 
in  which  he  traveled  was  drawn  up  near  the  Orleans  gate 
on  a  private  line  which  left  the  enclosed  part  of  the  park 
and  joined  the  main  line  from  Paris  to  Versailles.  The 
departure  was  of  a  strictly  private  character,  and  only  the 
Ministers  of  State  and  the  members  of  the  household  wit- 
nessed the  farewells  of  the  Imperial  family.  To  the  last 
minute  the  Empress  maintained  a  calm  and  smiling  de- 
meanor.    Just  as   the  train  was   slowly  moving  off  she 

called  out  to  the  Prince: 

90 


The   Emperor   Leaves   for   the   Front 

"I  trust,  Louis,  that  you  will  do  your  duty." 

The  Emperor  and  the  Prince  who  were  standing  close 
to  the  half-lowered  window  of  the  carriage  both  answered 
the  Empress,  but  I  could  not  catch  what  they  said,  as 
their  words  were  lost  in  the  cheers  of  those  on  the  plat- 
form, and  a  few  seconds  later  the  cry  of  "Long  live  the 
Emperor!"  was  taken  up  by  the  waiting  crowds  outside. 
This  was  the  last  time  that  I  heard  this  loyal  cry  in 
France. 

As  I  was  returning  to  the  Tuileries  with  M.  de  Parieu, 
the  Empress  drove  by.  She  was  alone  in  her  carriage 
with  the  Princess  Clotilde,  and  both  she  and  the  Princess 
were  in  tears.  M.  de  Parieu,  who  knew  my  opinions, 
turned  to  me  and  said  as  the  carriage  disappeared: 

"You  know,  of  course,  that  everyone  says  the  Empress 
has  been  exerting  her  influence  for  war?  Well,  I  happen 
to  know  that  this  is  untrue.  The  other  day  when  I  was 
leaving  the  council,  she  said  to  me,  'What  do  you  think 
of  all  this,  M.  de  Parieu?'  I  replied:  'Madame,  I  think 
that  if  England  were  to  offer  her  mediation,  we  should  be 
very  wrong  not  to  accept  it.'  And  she  answered:  'I  think 
so  too. 

The  Emperor's  chief  secretary,  M.  Conti,  was  absent, 
taking  the  waters  at  Orezza,  on  account  of  serious  illness. 
The  confidential  secretary,  Franceschini  Pietri,  had  gone 
with  Napoleon  III  to  the  front,  and  as  there  could  be  no 
question  of  M.  Damas  Hinard,  the  Empress's  private 
secretary,  taking  any  part  in  political  affairs,  it  was 
arranged  that  I  should  act  as  secretary  to  the  Regent, 
and  in  this  capacity  I  was  entrusted  with  the  cipher  used 
in  the  correspondence  between  the  Sovereigns. 

I  thought  at  first  that  my  duties  would  be  merely  a 
sinecure.    The  Empress  had  no  experience,  or  conception, 

9* 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

of  the  routine  and  work  thrown  upon  the  effective  head 
of  a  State.  Besides,  she  was  never  consulted,  and  could 
barely  count  on  being  informed  of  decisions  after  they  had 
been  taken.  She  was  Regent  in  name  only,  and  she 
wielded  no  power  as  Regent.  So  that  I  was  far  from 
realizing  the  part  which  circumstances,  combined  with  her 
own  force  of  character,  would  assign  to  her  in  the  direction 
of  political  affairs. 

However,  after  two  or  three  days  I  began  to  under- 
stand her  better.  She  put  aside  paper  work,  red  tape,  and 
Cabinet  routine,  but  she  had  mapped  out  a  clear  line  of 
conduct  with  a  double  end  in  view,  which  she  hoped  to 
attain  through  her  woman's  wit  and  resource.  This 
double  end  was:  firstly,  to  gain  adherents  in  the  ranks  of 
the  various  opposition  parties  and  thereby  to  unite  them  in 
a  common  patriotic  enthusiasm;  and  secondly,  to  gain 
allies  for  France  among  the  foreign  Powers. 

In  order  to  carry  out  the  first  part  of  the  program  it 
was  necessary  to  quiet  the  Press,  which  now  displayed  a 
general  tone  of  violence  and  denunciation.  The  Empress 
therefore  asked  me  to  write  to  Paul  de  Cassagnac  and 
appeal  to  his  generosity,  his  loyalty  and  his  political 
wisdom.  M.  de  Cassagnac  answered  my  letter  at  once, 
and  his  reply  left  nothing  to  be  desired.  At  the  same  time 
the  Empress  sent  me  to  interview  M.  Adelon,  Emile 
Ollivier's  secretary,  and  ask  him  to  moderate  his  zeal  in 
a  certain  affair  then  pending  which  concerned  the  life  of 
two  Paris  newspapers;  one,  La  Presse,  was  unable  to  pay 
a  fine  for  some  misdemeanor  and  in  consequence  was 
liable  to  be  supprest,  dragging  with  it  in  its  fall  Le 
Rappel,  another  important  newspaper. 

I  saw  at  once  that  M.  Adelon  had  an  entirely  erroneous 
idea  of  the  Regent's  character:  he  thought  at  first  that  I 

92 


England   Stands   Aloof 


had  come  to  insist  upon  measures  of  exceptional  severity, 
possibly  even  to  demand  the  heads  of  the  accused  journal- 
ists. He  was  therefore  very  surprized  when  he  found 
that  the  Empress  was  more  liberal  in  her  ideas  than  he 
was  himself!  But  he  did  not  attempt  to  disguise  his 
opinion — which  I  fully  shared — that  in  dealing  with 
members  of  the  opposition  generosity  would  only  be 
regarded  as  a  sign  of  weakness,  and  would  not  arouse  any 
feelings  of  gratitude.  He  was  in  favor  of  letting  things 
take  their  course,  subject  to  granting  a  free  pardon  to  the 
offending  La  Presse  if  that  paper  asked  for  it. 

"And  what  if  La  Presse  does  not?"  I  asked. 

Monsieur  Adelon  did  not  reply,  but  he  made  a  vague 
gesture  which  might  have  signified:  "Well,  in  this  case  we 
shall  wash  our  hands  of  them."  I  made  my  adieux  shortly 
afterwards,  and  reported  the  result  of  the  interview  to  the 
Empress,  who  still  persisted  in  her  attempt  at  conciliation. 
The  affair  of  La  Presse  and  La  Rappel,  which  had  been  set 
down  for  the  next  day,  was  postponed  for  a  week,  and 
after  that  never  appeared  again  in  the  cause  list.1 

Of  far  greater  importance  was  the  question  of  foreign 
alliances.  From  the  first  hour  of  war  England  stood  aloof 
from  us:  Lord  Granville,  who  was  in  Paris,  first  concealed 
his  whereabouts  and  then  vanished;  Lord  Lyons,  the  Eng- 
lish Ambassador,  had  been  also  told  to  remain  invisible. 
The  task  of  awakening  the  memory  and  the  conscience  of 
Italy  fell  to  Prince  Napoleon,  the  son-in-law  of  Victor  Em- 
manuel. At  St.  Petersburg  we  had  an  exceptionally  able 
representative  who  stood  high  in  Court  favor;  of  this  I  had 

1  Some  years  after  my  interview  with  M.  Adelon  one  of  the  newspapers  which 
owed  its  salvation  to  my  visit  to  the  Place  Venddme,  announcing  the  death  of  my 
father,  mistook  him  for  me  and  pronounced  my  funeral  oration  in  these  words: 
"We  are  well  rid  of  one  more  of  that  crowd."  But  it  was  fortunate  for 
the  newspaper  in  question  that  I  did  not  entertain  similar  feelings  towards  it  in 
July,  1870! 

93 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

proof  later  on,  when  I  saw  the  consideration  and  sympathy 
which  Alexander  II  showed  to  him.  Less  than  ten  days 
before  the  Revolution  broke  out  General  Count  Fleury 
had  obtained  serious  guarantees  from  the  Tsar,  involving 
the  intervention  of  Russia  on  the  questions  of  maintenance 
of  the  dynasty  and  the  integrity  of  French  territory. 

The  Empress  reserved  to  herself  the  task  of  influenc- 
ing Austria  through  Prince  Metternich.  She  had  a 
lengthy  conversation  with  him  which  cannot  have  been  de- 
void of  interest  or  result,  since  the  Empress  decided  to 
report  it  to  the  Emperor  in  person.  I  was  actually  making 
arrangements  to  accompany  her  on  her  journey  to  Metz 
when  events  intervened  to  prevent  her  from  carrying  out 
this  plan. 

As  early  as  July  30,  that  is  to  say  on  the  next  day  but 
one  after  Napoleon  III  had  left  for  Metz,  the  Empress 
had  received  a  letter  from  him  which  threw  her  into  a 
state  of  the  utmost  consternation.  The  Emperor  said  that 
on  his  arrival  he  had  found  everywhere  confusion,  disor- 
der and  quarreling,  and  that  nothing  was  in  readiness  for 
the  advance !  Now  the  Emperor,  who  knew  only  too  well 
our  inferiority  in  numbers,  had  trusted  that  the  rapidity 
of  the  French  mobilization  would  give  us  the  advantage 
over  the  proverbial  slowness  of  the  Germans.  It  was  upon 
this  belief  that  his  plan  of  campaign  was  founded.  He 
hoped  by  a  double  thrust  to  separate  North  Germany  from 
South  Germany,  and  so  allow  the  latter  to  shake  off  her 
yoke,  not  as  yet  firmly  established,  and  under  our  auspices 
to  avenge  herself  for  the  humiliation  of  1866.  In  the 
event  of  this  Austria  would  no  longer  hesitate  to  declare 
herself  on  the  side  of  France.1    But  the  plan  was  hope- 

1  The  Emperor  has  explained  this  plan  of  campaign  in  the  pamphlet:  "On  the 
causes  which  contributed  to  the  capitulation  of  Sedan,"  by  "a  staff-captain."  I 
saw  him  write  this  at  Chislehurst. 

94 


The   Engagement   at   Sarrebriick 

less  as  soon  as  it  became  clear  that  the  commander-in-chief 
had  only  half  the  expected  number  of  men  available,  and 
that  the  transport  and  supply  services  were  non-existent 
and  had  not  even  begun  to  be  organized. 

The  gloomy  tone  of  this  letter  had  profoundly  im- 
prest the  Empress;  it  foreshadowed  the  coming  dis- 
asters. However,  on  August  2  a  joint  telegram  from  the 
Emperor  and  the  Prince  Imperial  reached  Saint  Cloud,  an- 
nouncing the  French  advance  and  the  engagement  at  Sar- 
rebriick. The  text  of  the  Emperor's  telegram,  which  was 
of  an  absolutely  private  nature  and  which  the  Empress 
wished  to  keep  to  herself,  was  published  by  order  of  the 
Ministry,  and  caused  a  storm  of  pitiless  raillery  from  the 
opposition  Press.     This  is  what  the  telegram  contained: 

"Louis  has  just  received  his  baptism  of  fire.  His 
coolness  was  admirable.  He  was  as  unconcerned  as  if  he 
had  been  strolling  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne. 

"One  of  General  Frossard's  divisions  has  carried  the 
heights  which  dominate  the  left  bank  of  the  river  at  Sarre- 
bruck.  The  Prussians  made  only  a  slight  resistance. 
There  was  only  desultory  rifle  and  artillery  fire.  We  were 
in  the  front  line,  but  the  shots  fell  at  our  feet.  Louis  has 
kept  a  bullet  which  fell  close  to  where  he  was  standing. 
Some  of  the  soldiers  wept  when  they  saw  him  so  cool. 

"Our  losses  are — one  officer  killed  and  ten  men 
wounded." 

I  wrote  at  once  to  the  Prince  and  received  a  reply  from 
him  on  the  afternoon  of  August  4.  This  letter  (the  con- 
tents of  which  I  have  given  in  my  book  on  the  Prince 
Imperial)  gave  one  last  moment  of  happiness  to  the 
Empress.  Even  as  she  read  the  letter  the  fatal  action  of 
Wissembourg,  where  General  Abel  Douay  fell,  was  open- 
ing the  long  series  of  our  reverses.     The  news  of  this 

95 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

disaster  reached  Saint  Cloud  during  the  night  of  August 
4-5,  but  the  people  of  Paris  heard  of  it  only  at  two  o'clock 
on  August  5,  when  the  announcement  was  posted  at  the 
Bourse,  and,  as  everyone  knows,  it  was  impossible  to  have 
chosen  a  worse  hour  for  such  a  disclosure,  or  one  more 
likely  to  throw  the  market  off  its  balance. 

Lavisse,  who  came  to  see  me  at  Saint  Cloud,  called 
my  attention  to  this  and  to  its  probable  consequences,  and 
I  communicated  his  report  to  the  Empress.  I  do  not  know 
whether  this  ill-advised  measure  was  actually  due  to  M. 
Chevandier  de  Valdrome,  Minister  of  the  Interior,  or  to 
the  Prime  Minister.  I  merely  emphasize  the  fact  that  the 
Regent  had  no  responsibility  whatever  for  it. 

During  the  next  twenty-four  hours  Paris  was  in  a  state 
of  ever-increasing  ferment.  Popular  anger  ran  high  and, 
having  no  other  outlet,  vented  itself  in  the  wreckage  of 
one  or  two  offices  of  money-changers  with  German  names. 
Suddenly,  towards  noon,  the  news  of  a  great  victory 
gained  by  MacMahon  spread  like  a  train  of  gunpowder, 
and  all  the  central  quarters  of  Paris  gave  themselves  up  to 
an  orgy  of  rejoicing.  The  reporters,  all  agog,  besieged  the 
Ministry  of  the  Interior,  and  speculation  on  the  Bourse 
rose  by  leaps  and  bounds.  But  we  knew  nothing  at  Saint 
Cloud,  and  Clement  Duvernois  sent  one  of  his  sub-editors 
to  tell  us  what  was  happening  in  Paris. 

This  person  arrived  at  Saint  Cloud  at  about  three 
o'clock,  and  after  hearing  what  he  had  to  relate,  the 
Empress  ordered  the  Marquis  de  Piennes  and  myself  to 
go  instantly  to  Paris.  The  report  had  been  officially 
denied  when  we  arrived,  but  half  the  city  was  still  dec- 
orated: in  places  people  were  still  rejoicing,  while  else- 
where the  disappointed  and  infuriated  populace  de- 
manded that  the  flags  should  be  taken  down.     I  went 

96 


Paris   under   Martial   Law 


to  the  Place  Beauvau,  and  to  the  Place  Vendome;  I  spoke 
to  several  well-known  politicians,  all  of  them  very  uneasy, 
and  amongst  others  to  the  Chief  of  Police,  who  remarked: 
"We  are  in  for  a  warm  time  to-night." 

At  half-past  nine  we  returned  to  Saint  Cloud.  We 
found  the  Empress  in  the  middle  drawing-room  on  the 
first  floor  next  the  library.  She  had  with  her  the  Princess 
d'Essling  (mistress  of  the  household);  Princess  de  la 
Moskowa  and  the  Comtesse  de  Rayneval  (who  were  in 
attendance  as  ladies-in-waiting);  the  Comtesse  Clary, 
whose  husband  was  a  member  of  the  Prince  Imperial's 
suite;  Prince  Metternich,  who  had  dined  at  Saint  Cloud 
that  evening;  her  two  nieces,  Marie,  Duchesse  de  Galisteo, 
and  Louise,  Duchesse  de  Montoro;  their  governess,  Mile. 
Redel;  the  Comte  de  Cosse-Brissac,  chamberlain  on  duty; 
Admiral  Jurien  de  la  Graviere,  aide-de-camp  to  the  Em- 
peror (who  had  been  entrusted  by  the  Emperor  with  the 
care  of  the  Empress,  a  duty  which  he  performed  with  sig- 
nal devotion) ;  Lieutenant  Eugene  Conneau,  a  naval  aide- 
de-camp  attached  to  the  person  of  the  Empress;  possibly 
two  or  three  more  were  present  whose  names  I  have  for- 
gotten. 

General  Lepic  came  into  the  room  with  us.  He  had 
brought  an  order  for  the  Empress's  signature  which  would 
put  Paris  under  martial  law,  and  a  letter  from  Emile 
Ollivier  in  which  he  begged  the  Empress  in  view  of  the 
gravity  of  the  situation  "to  return  to  Paris  immediately 
with  all  the  troops  at  her  disposal."  We  looked  at  each 
other  aghast.  The  troops  at  the  disposal  of  the  Empress 
consisted  of  160  men  at  the  depot  of  the  Guards  Light 
Infantry.  No  matter!  The  Empress  meekly  signed  the 
decree  and  promised  General  Lepic  that  she  would  return 
to  the  Tuileries. 

97 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

The  Empress  then  retired  to  her  own  rooms,  General 
Lepic  left  for  Paris,  the  ladies  talked  among  themselves, 
and  M.  de  Piennes  and  I  went  downstairs  to  get  some- 
thing to  eat.  We  had  hardly  sat  down  when  a  telegram 
was  brought  in  from  General  Headquarters. 

We  at  once  went  back  to  one  of  the  drawing-rooms, 
where  we  deciphered  the  contents  of  the  telegram  with 
the  aid  of  M.  de  Cosse-Brissac.  The  first  words  fully 
revealed  the  horror  of  the  situation.  Imagine,  at  that  late 
hour,  the  great  silent  room  and  the  three  men  on  their 
knees,  haggard  and  perspiring,  bending  over  the  key  chart 
spread  out  on  the  floor,  spelling  out  with  despair  in  their 
hearts  the  fatal  telegram  which  had  brought  through  the 
night  the  tidings  of  disaster  and  of  which  every  word  was 
a  hammer-blow. 

"Our  troops,"  thus  ran  the  fatal  cipher,  "are  in  full 
retreat.  Nothing  must  be  thought  of  now  beyond  the 
defense  of  the  capital." 

A  second  telegram  followed  almost  immediately,  an- 
nouncing the  defeat  of  MacMahon  at  ReichshofFen,  which 
coincided  with  the  defeat  of  Frossard  at  Forbach.  Two 
great  reverses  in  one  day!  There  had  never  been  a  par- 
allel case  in  the  history  of  France.  The  second  tele- 
gram concluded,  it  is  true,  with  these  words:  "All  may 
yet  be  regained,"  but  after  what  went  before  this  conclu- 
sion seemed  absurd. 

By  this  time  we  were  stunned  and  almost  stupefied 
with  the  horror  which  overwhelms  the  first  recipients  of 
bad  news  whose  unpleasant  duty  it  is  to  announce  it  to 
the  world. 

It  was  then  half-past  eleven. 

"Who  is  going  to  tell  the  Empress?"  asked  the  Mar- 
quis de  Piennes. 

98 


Disaster  I 

M.  de  Brissac  and  I  were  silent.  But  M.  de  Piennes 
was  a  man  of  energy  who  made  up  his  mind  quickly. 

"Very  well,"  said  he,  "I  will  go  myself." 

The  Marquis  returned  after  five  minutes  looking  very 
pale,  and  his  first  words  were: 

"Do  you  know  what  she  said?  'The  dynasty  is  lost; 
we  must  think  only  of  France. '  " 

These  words  gave  us  strength;  the  Empress's  influence 
was  already  working  on  us,  as  it  was  to  work  on  all  those 
who  were  to  approach  her  during  those  memorable  weeks. 
This  was  the  real  woman,  she  whom  Admiral  Jurien  de- 
lighted to  compare  with  Chimene.  But  how  vastly  greater 
than  Chimene,  since  without  a  moment's  hesitation  she 
sacrificed  her  own  greatness  and  that  of  her  husband  and 
her  son  to  the  national  honor. 

Some  may  say,  "These  were  only  words!"  But  I 
reply  to  such  people  that  these  words  were  no  vain  words. 
They  were  the  expression  of  a  certain  line  of  conduct 
which  she  followed  unswervingly,  as  will  be  shown. 

In  less  than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  the  Empress 
had  received  the  news  of  the  disaster,  she  came  back  to 
the  drawing-room,  where  the  ladies,  now  aware  of  the 
dreadful  events  of  the  day,  were  still  sitting.  The  Princess 
d'Essling  came  forward  with  outstretched  arms  weeping 
bitterly. 

"Ah,  Madame!"  she  sobbed. 

"No  sentiment,  I  implore  you,"  replied  the  Empress. 
"I  need  all  my  courage." 

I  went  to  awaken  the  admiral,  whose  invincible  opti- 
mism now  asserted  itself.  As  we  came  downstairs  he 
indulged  in  a  characteristic  remark: 

"Well,  after  all,  it  might  have  been  worse,"  said  the 
admiral. 

99 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

How  typical  of  a  sailor  who  has  braved  innumerable 
tempests!  The  admiral  possest  the  gift  of  Hope,  which 
often  endows  one  with  the  power  to  act.  All  that  the 
admiral  remembered  of  these  dreadful  telegrams  was  that 
last  line:  "All  may  yet  be  regained!" 

The  Empress  decided  to  return  to  the  Tuileries  that 
very  night,  and  telegrams  were  dispatched  to  summon 
thither  the  members  of  the  Privy  Council  and  the  Min- 
isters. M.  de  Brissac  and  I  left  in  advance  to  make 
the  necessary  arrangements,  and  at  a  quarter  to  two  in 
the  morning  we  alighted  outside  the  Pavilion  de  l'Horloge. 
Marshal  Baraguay  d'Hilliers,  who  had  been  ordered  to 
attend  at  midnight,  had  been  walking  about  under  the 
arch  for  two  hours  in  an  icy  wind.  He  was  furious,  and 
hardly  condescended  to  answer  us  when  we  begged  him 
to  enter  the  palace.  The  Prefet  of  the  Seine,  Henri 
Chevreau,  and  General  d'Antemarre,  commanding  the 
National  Guards  of  the  Seine,  were  also  present.  At 
three  o'clock  the  Empress  arrived,  and  the  council  began 
its  sitting  under  her  chairmanship,  which  was,  this  time, 
a  very  real  chairmanship,  as  everyone  realized.  The 
presidents  of  the  two  chambers,  Rouher  and  Schneider, 
were  present  at  this  meeting,  which  General  Chabaud- 
Latour  and  General  Trochu  were  invited  to  attend,  the 
latter  being  brought  by  Emile  Ollivier.  General  Trochu 
was  very  popular  at  the  moment,  as  he  had  recently  aired 
his  views  on  military  reorganization,  which  were  opposed 
to  those  of  the  Government,  in  a  pamphlet,  the  publica- 
tion of  which  constituted  a  breach  of  military  discipline. 
It  was  therefore  quite  to  be  expected  that  the  public,  who 
always  applaud  insubordination,  should  have  made  a  hero 
of  General  Trochu.  As  to  the  technical  value  of  his 
criticisms  on  the  Government  scheme,  that  could  only 

ioo 


Back   at   the    Tuileries 


be  assessed  with  accuracy  by  members  of  his  own  pro- 
fession. 

Thus,  on  this  fateful  night,  the  Empress  first  made  the 
acquaintance  of  General  Trochu's  wordy  eloquence,  with 
which  she  was  destined  soon  to  become  familiar.  When 
the  sitting  was  over  and  the  Ministers  had  gone,  M. 
Trochu  still  talked  on  to  two  or  three  unimportant  listen- 
ers, including  Eugene  Conneau  and  myself.  I  believe  he 
would  have  harangued  the  ushers  if  we  had  gone  away. 

I  lay  down  to  sleep  fully  drest  on  a  sofa  in  one  of 
the  drawing-rooms  on  the  ground  floor.  When  I  opened 
my  eyes  I  was  much  surprized  to  see,  standing  by  the 
couch,  Mme.  Walewska,  who  had  awakened  me  by  a 
tap  on  the  shoulder.  It  took  me  a  minute  or  two  to 
remember  where  I  was,  and  what  had  happened,  and 
why  this  apparition  replaced  the  honest  face  of  my  man, 
Pestel,  who  called  me  every  morning.  It  happened 
that  Mme.  Walewska  had  come  to  the  Tuileries  to  learn 
what  had  transpired,  and  she  had  wandered  about  the 
palace  until  she  found  herself  at  the  Empress's  door. 
There  she  was  told  that  the  Regent  wished  to  see 
me,  and  Mme.  Walewska  at  once  volunteered  to  go 
in  search  of  me.  This  alone  serves  to  show  what  a  state 
of  confusion  reigned  in  the  palace;  there  were  no  serv- 
ants about,  no  sentries,  and  the  furniture  was  still 
enveloped  in  its  holland  coverings  which  the  Empress 
would  not  allow  to  be  removed.  During  the  course  of  the 
next  month  we  led  an  absolutely  Bohemian  existence.  We 
slept  and  ate  where,  when  and  in  what  fashion  we  could, 
we  worked  at  any  table  that  happened  to  be  vacant.  In  a 
word,  we  were  encamped  at  the  Tuileries. 

Mme.  Lebreton  Bourbaki,  sister  of  the  general  com- 
manding the  Imperial  Guard,  and  who  acted  as  reader  to 

IOI 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

the  Empress,  had  a  bed  made  up  for  herself  in  a  room  ad- 
joining the  dressing-room,  a  room  in  which  the  Prince  had 
worked  during  a  whole  winter  whilst  the  Pavilion  de  Flore 
was  being  re-decorated  and  re-furnished.  In  this  little 
room  Mme.  Lebreton  Bourbaki  was  at  all  times  within  call 
of  the  Empress,  and  from  the  night  of  August  7  until  her 
death,  more  than  thirty  years  later,  she  never  left  the  Em- 
press. At  the  time  of  which  I  write  it  happened  more  than 
once  that  both  Mme.  Lebreton  and  myself  waited  on  the 
Empress,  and  altho  I  am  the  least  servile  of  men,  the 
memory  of  this  service,  inspired  by  devotion,  and  accepted 
by  affection,  appears  to  me  in  no  way  irksome. 

August  7  fell  on  a  Sunday.  The  Regent  attended 
early  Mass  in  the  chapel  of  the  Tuileries,  and  she  then 
asked  me  to  go  to  the  Place  Vendome  with  a  message  to 
the  Prime  Minister.  I  found  the  Premier  fast  asleep  in 
a  little  room  on  the  ground  floor,  destitute  of  almost  any 
furniture  save  a  bed.  It  appeared  that  on  his  return  from 
the  palace  he  had  slept  in  this  uncomfortable  room  in 
order  not  to  disturb  Mme.  Ollivier.  I  roused  him  in  the 
same  manner  in  which  I  had  been  awakened  an  hour 
earlier — a  duty  one  is  often  called  upon  to  render  in  time  of 
war  or  revolution,  and  surely  we  were  then  the  victims  of 
one  of  these  evils,  and  living  in  constant  dread  of  the  other. 

Ollivier  was  full  of  energy  and  resource,  and  he  had 
nothing  but  praise  for  the  attitude  and  language  of  the 
Empress  at  the  council  on  the  preceding  night.  "She 
was  wonderful,"  he  said,  "everybody  was  immensely 
imprest."1 

1  We  are  able  to  trace  the  echo  of  this  feeling  in  the  evidence  given  before  the  Com- 
mission of  Inquiry  upon  the  events  of  the  Fourth  of  September,  not  only  by  the  ad- 
herents of  the  dynasty,  but  by  men  who  cannot  be  suspected  of  possessing  any  lean- 
ings towards  Imperialism.  'The  Empress,"  said  General  Chabaud-Latour, '  addrest 
us  in  a  most  worthy  and  noble  manner." 

102 


The   Empress's   Manifesto 


I  left  Emile  Ollivier  on  the  arrival  of  the  Ministers 
who  were  again  meeting  to  hold  a  council,  as  they  wished 
to  discuss  the  terms  of  their  proclamation,  which  was 
posted  about  noon,  together  with  a  manifesto  by  the 
Regent.  The  Regent's  manifesto  was  the  work  of  M.  de 
Lezay-Marnesia,  who  had  occupied  the  position  of  first 
chamberlain  to  the  Empress  since  the  death  of  the  Due 
Tascher  de  la  Pagerie:  it  was  not  amiss,  but  it  would 
have  been  better  if  the  Empress  had  relied  upon  herself 
alone  for  its  composition.  At  a  quarter  to  eight  that 
evening  the  Prime  Minister  sent  the  following  telegram 
to  the  Emperor: 

"Public  opinion  remains  excellent.  The  first  general 
astonishment  and  intense  grief  have  been  succeeded  by 
confidence  and  enthusiasm.  Even  the  revolutionary  party 
goes  with  the  tide.  One  or  two  wretches  who  shouted 
'Long  live  the  Republic!'  have  been  arrested  by  the 
people  themselves.  Every  time  the  National  Guard  ap- 
pears it  is  greeted  with  cheers.  Thus — have  no  fear  for 
us,  and  think  only  of  giving  the  enemy  the  punishment 
we  are  all  praying  for.  We  are  ready  to  make  all  nec- 
essary sacrifices. 

"We  are  all  united,  and  we  discuss  affairs  in  complete 
accord  with  the  Privy  Council. 

"The  Empress  enjoys  good  health.  She  has  shown 
us  all  a  wonderful  example  of  strength,  courage  and 
nobility  of  soul. 

"We  are  more  than  ever  at  heart  devoted  to  you." 

This  telegram  does  honor  to  M.  Ollivier,  but  it  shows 
that  he  was  deceived  on  certain  points,  notably  those  con- 
cerning the  patriotism  of  the  extremists  and  his  own 
situation  before  the   country   and  the  Chamber.     Even 

103 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

when  the  war  had  been  popular,  Ollivier  did  not  benefit  by 
this  popularity.  After  our  disasters,  how  was  it  possible  to 
persuade  a  nation  placed  in  a  situation  of  the  greatest  peril 
that  the  men  who  could  save  it  were  Louvet,  Chevandier 
de  Valdrome  and  Maurice  Richard?  They  were  fine- 
weather  ministers — not  ministers  who  could  weather  the 
storm  of  war. 

With  a  lack  of  justice  which  would  have  been  cowardly 
if  the  public  had  been  in  a  normal  frame  of  mind,  general 
opinion  turned  abruptly  against  Ollivier,  and  held  him 
responsible  for  a  war  into  which  he  had  been  drawn  abso- 
lutely against  his  wish.  Even  the  most  impartial  asked 
whether  this  great  Liberal  orator,  so  excellent  as  an 
organizer  of  constitutional  democracy,  was  the  right  man 
to  save  the  country  in  its  hour  of  need. 

Hated  by  his  old  friends  of  the  Left,  who  looked  upon 
him  as  a  traitor,  and  always  suspected  by  the  Right,  the 
Prime  Minister,  since  the  taking  of  the  plebiscite  and  the 
retirement  of  Messieurs  Buffet,  de  Talhouet  and  Daru, 
received  only  tepid  sympathy  from  the  Left  Center,  which 
obeyed  the  dictates  of  M.  Thiers.  It  remained  for  him  to 
prove  the  disloyalty  of  the  Right  Center,  his  chief  support, 
and  until  then  his  faithful  legion. 

He  was  soon  enlightened  on  this  point.  The  Corps 
legislatif  had  been  convened  in  the  first  instance  for  the 
nth,  but  afterwards,  at  the  request  of  M.  Schneider,  the 
earlier  date  of  Tuesday,  the  9th,  was  fixt. 

It  will  be  seen  what  an  error  had  been  committed,  at  the 

time  of  the  Emperor's  departure,  in  restricting  the  power 

of  the  Regent  within  such  narrow  limits,  and  those  chiefly 

responsible  for  laying  down  these  limits  were  afterwards 

the  first  to  advise  her  to  transcend  them.    She  had,  indeed 

gone  beyond  them  when  she  had  proclaimed  a  state  of 

104 


Insecurity   of  Emile   Ollivier 

martial  law,  and  she  did  so  again  when  she  summoned 
urgently  the  Corps  legislatif  without  referring  to  the 
Emperor.  She  was  now  about  to  still  further  exceed  her 
powers  by  forming  a  Cabinet. 

"Your  Majesty,"  I  said,  "is  acting  in  a  revolutionary 
manner." 

"I  must,"  she  answered. 

She  was  vexed  at  having  to  act  in  this  manner,  because 
she  was  always  one  of  the  greatest  believers  in  legal 
methods,  and  she  felt  that  her  action  had  prepared  the  way 
for  the  unconstitutional  proposals  which  were  put  forward 
during  the  following  weeks.  But  she  yielded  to  an  im- 
perious necessity.  It  is,  however,  necessary  to  observe 
that  none  of  the  acts  of  the  Empress  challenged  the 
national  will,  but  her  usurpation  of  power,  if  one  can  so 
describe  it,  infringed  only  the  prerogative  of  the  Emperor. 
This  was  in  some  sense  a  domestic  affair,  a  question  be- 
tween the  wife  and  her  husband. 

Hardly  had  the  Corps  legislatif  reassembled  than  the 
three  groups  of  this  Chamber  which  were  loyal  to  the 
dynasty  each  sent  two  deputies  to  the  Empress,  begging 
her  to  form  a  new  Ministry.  I  only  remember  the  names 
of  two  of  these  six  ambassadors,  simply  because  they  hap- 
pened to  take  opposite  views  as  regards  the  appointment 
of  General  Trochu.  These  gentlemen  were  M.  de  Dal- 
mas  and  M.  Dugue  de  la  Fauconnerie.  But  all  were 
unanimous  as  to  the  desirability  of  dismissing  Emile 
Ollivier. 

"I  have  not  the  right,"  answered  the  Empress,  "to 
dismiss  the  Ministry;  but,  in  view  of  the  urgency,  I 
believe  it  will  be  my  duty  to  replace  the  Ministry  if  you 
upset  it." 

Indeed,  in  the  circumstances  in  which  we  found  our- 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

selves,  it  seemed  our  duty  to  prepare  the  solution  of  a 
ministerial  crisis  before  it  took  place.  Government  could 
not  remain  in  abeyance  even  for  twenty-four  hours.  So 
during  August  7  and  8  there  was  a  continual  coming 
and  going  of  politicians.  From  the  very  first  hour,  simply 
because  she  had  spoken  so  nobly  and  firmly  the  words 
demanded  by  the  situation,  the  Empress  had  become 
the  center  of  everything,  the  soul  of  the  defense  and  the 
real  Head  of  the  Government. 

During  the  night  of  the  8th-cyth,  at  about  two  in  the 
morning,  the  Empress,  who  had  been  unable  to  sleep,  sent 
for  me,  and  discust  with  wonderful  clearness  of  outlook 
the  various  courses  she  might  adopt.  How  many  fresh 
names  had  been  suggested  within  the  last  forty-eight 
hours!  How  many  combinations  proposed,  tried,  re- 
jected, re-considered,  and  again  thrown  aside!  M.  Hauss- 
mann  had  been  suggested.  The  Right  would  not  hear 
of  it.  It  was  proposed  to  place  Girardin  in  the  Cabinet, 
but  only  on  condition  that  he  held  no  responsible  post. 
But  he  insisted  on  the  Home  Office.  Nothing  to  be  done 
with  him!  Trochu,  who  with  Bazaine  was  the  hero  of  the 
moment,  had  been  sounded,  and  declared  himself  willing 
to  accept  the  post  of  Minister  of  War,  if  he  were  allowed 
to  expose  in  a  public  speech  the  faults  committed  by  the 
Higher  Command.  Were  we  then  thus  openly  to  confess 
our  faults,  to  lay  bare  our  discords  and  our  weaknesses  to 
the  armed  invader  now  in  our  own  territory,  who  would 
hasten  to  profit  by  such  confessions  ?  Even  those  who  had 
put  forward  Trochu's  name  had  not  insisted. 

The  name  of  General  de  Palikao  was  then  remem- 
bered. Palikao,  the  victor  of  Peking,  once  the  butt  of  the 
newspapers  when  he  was  a  favorite  at  the  Court,  was  now 

almost  forgotten  in  his  command  at  Lyons,  but  he  enjoyed 

106 


An   Adventure   Underground 

a  semi-popularity  on  account  of  his  being  in  semi-disgrace. 
He  had  been  sent  for  in  haste,  and  was  already  on  his  way 
to  Paris  as  the  Empress  was  speaking  to  me. 

Our  conversation  lasted  for  some  hours.  By  this  time 
the  Empress  was  literally  worn  out  with  fatigue,  and  her 
face  was  as  white  as  her  pillow.  For  three  days  she  had 
not  slept,  and  she  had  hardly  eaten.  I  implored  her  to 
try  and  sleep,  and  she  exprest  a  wish  to  see  whether  a 
dose  of  chloral  would  induce  slumber.  I  suggested  that 
instead  of  this  drug  she  might  test  the  virtue  of  a  cup  of 
broth.  The  Empress  consented,  and  I  left  the  room  to 
give  the  necessary  order  to  Mile.  Blanche,  the  maid  who 
attended  to  this  kind  of  requirements;  but  as  I  could  not 
find  her  in  the  little  passage  behind  Her  Majesty's  room,  I 
determined,  little  as  I  knew  of  those  regions,  to  fetch  the 
cup  of  broth  myself. 

I  skirted  the  Galerie  de  Diane,  and  descended  to  the 
basement  by  the  staircase  of  the  Pavilion  de  Flore.  I 
found  myself  in  an  underground  passage  extending  the 
whole  length  of  the  Tuileries  and  lit  by  innumerable  lamps. 
But  where  were  the  kitchens  ?  I  had  not  the  remotest  idea, 
so  I  thought  my  best  plan  would  be  to  follow  the  lines  of 
the  little  railway  which  conveyed  the  dishes  from  the 
kitchens  to  the  Imperial  table.  Galleries  opened  to  the 
right  and  left  of  me,  which  under  other  conditions  I  should 
have  been  tempted  to  explore.  Suddenly  I  bethought  me 
of  "the  little  Red  Man"  who  appeared,  so  it  was  said,  to 
the  masters  of  this  palace  or  the  members  of  their  house- 
hold whenever  some  disaster  was  impending!  Surely  it 
was,  indeed,  a  fitting  time  to  show  himself.  But  "the  little 
Red  Man"  remained  invisible,  and  during  my  long  walk  I 
saw  no  sign  of  a  ghost  or  of  any  living  soul.    The  kitchens 

were  situated,  I  discovered  eventually,  under  the  Rue  de 

107 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Rivoli,  and  in  one  I  found  a  scullion  asleep  in  a  chair.  I 
awoke  him  in  the  same  manner  that  I  had  awakened 
Emile  Ollivier,  but  he  took  it  far  less  kindly.  However,  as 
soon  as  I  had  obtained  what  I  sought  I  retraced  my  steps; 
but  when  I  reached  the  Empress's  bedroom,  after  a 
twenty-minutes'  walk,  the  broth  was  stone  cold  and  the 
Empress  was  sleeping  peacefully. 


108 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  REGENCY  (continued),  August  7-September  4,  1870 

THE  Place  de  la  Concorde  was  in  a  state  of  tumult  on 
the  day  of  the  opening  of  Parliament,  and  military 
precautions  were  taken  to  protect  the  national  rep- 
resentatives from  popular  violence.  Marshal  Baraguay 
d'Hilliers,  who  was  personally  in  charge  of  the  arrange- 
ments for  keeping  order,  was  still  in  a  somewhat  sullen 
mood.  The  position  did  not  please  him,  and  two  days 
later  he  sent  in  his  resignation — a  fatal  resignation,  since  it 
led  to  the  appointment  of  Trochu  as  Governor  of  Paris. 

The  Chamber  opened  at  two  o'clock  with  a  few  words 
from  the  Prime  Minister,  and  if  he  had  been  hitherto  able 
to  cherish  any  doubts  as  to  the  feelings  of  the  majority 
regarding  himself,  his  experience  at  this  moment  must 
have  settled  them.  The  sitting  was  suspended,  and  re- 
sumed at  five  o'clock.  Emile  Ollivier  announced  that  the 
Ministers  had  placed  their  resignations  in  the  hands  of  the 
Empress  Regent,  who  had  instructed  General  Count  de 
Palikao  to  form  a  Cabinet  and  that  the  General  had  ac- 
cepted the  duty.  M.  Ollivier  added  that,  following  the 
ordinary  rule,  the  retiring  Ministers  would  continue  in 
their  office  until  the  nomination  of  their  successors. 

Without  another  word  he  left  the  Tribune,  which  had 
witnessed  so  many  of  his  oratorical  triumphs  and  which  he 
was  never  again  to  ascend.  The  Chamber  cheered  him  as 
if  by  courtesy;  it  was  a  polite  farewell,  but  slightly  cruel 
in  its  cold  politeness.  With  a  heavy  heart  I  mused  on  the 
great  things  which  Emile  Ollivier  had  failed  of  accom- 

109 


Recollections    of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

plishing.  His  fall  closed  a  chapter  in  the  annals  of  the 
Second  Empire  which  ought  to  have  been  one  of  the  most 
glorious;  a  chapter  which  should  have  accurately  denned 
and  justified  the  Imperial  regime  in  the  eyes  of  history. 
Those  will  agree  with  me  who  believe,  as  I  do,  that  the 
true  significance  of  the  Empire  was  to  be  found  in  its  later 
liberal  and  democratic  form. 

But  the  rapid  sequence  of  events  carried  us  down  the 
stream,  and  it  was  useless  to  look  back.  When  General 
de  Palikao  appeared  next  day  in  the  Tribune  his  first 
words  were  almost  inaudible.  "Speak  louder!"  cried  the 
Left,  insolently. 

"Excuse  me,"  said  the  General,  smiling  and  without 
raising  his  voice,  "I  have  here" — at  the  same  time  lifting 
his  hand  to  his  neck,  which  was  encircled  by  a  stiff  black 
stock  in  the  fashion  of  1840 — "I  have  here  a  bullet  which 
has  never  been  extracted,  and  which  worries  me  a  little  in 
public  speaking.  But  if  you  will  take  the  trouble  to  listen, 
I  assure  you  that  you  will  hear  me." 

This  little  sentence  contained  a  great  lesson;  it  re- 
minded the  babblers  that  they  had  before  them  a  man  of 
action.    The  House  understood  and  applauded. 

The  General  then  read  the  list  of  his  colleagues.  Henri 
Chevreau  was  Minister  of  the  Interior;  Clement 
Duvernois,  Minister  of  Commerce;  Jerome  David,  Min- 
ister of  Public  Works;  Magne  received  the  portfolio  of 
Finance;  Brame  that  of  Education;  Prince  de  La  Tour 
d'Auvergne  was  appointed  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs; 
Grandperret  took  over  the  Seals.  The  Presidency  of  the 
State  Council,  which  gave  rank  in  the  Cabinet,  devolved 
upon  Busson-Billault;  Admiral  Rigault  de  Genouilly  re- 
mained at  the  Admiralty,  and,  naturally,  Palikao  took 

charge  of  the  War  Office  in  addition  to  the  office  of  Prime 

no 


Paris    Prepares   for   Siege 


Minister.  These  names  were  well  received,  especially 
those  of  Magne  and  Brame. 

The  new  Ministers  set  to  work  at  once,  and,  if  one 
judges  politicians  not  according  to  their  final  successes,  but 
according  to  the  uprightness  of  their  intentions  and  the 
immediate  results,  history  ought,  so  it  seems  to  me,  to  re- 
spect this  Ministry  of  twenty-five  days,  whose  activity  was 
truly  extraordinary,  and  without  which  the  five  months' 
resistance  which  followed  would  have  been  impossible. 
The  loan  of  500  millions,  the  compulsory  circulation  of 
bank-notes,  the  moratorium  on  bills  of  exchange,  met  the 
urgent  financial  requirements,  and  when  Magne  left  the 
Ministry  the  Republic  found  two  thousand  million  francs 
in  their  coffers. 

All  men  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-five  were  called  up 
to  serve  in  the  Garde  Mobile,  and  men  from  thirty-five  to 
forty-five  in  the  Garde  Nationale.  Special  laws  granted 
an  allowance  to  families  who  now  found  themselves,  on 
account  of  this  calling  up,  deprived  of  their  bread-winners. 
Thanks  to  these  measures  the  Minister  of  War  was  able  to 
create  two  new  army  corps,  to  the  command  of  which 
Trochu  and  Vinoy  were  appointed;  and  with  the  fourth 
battalions  from  the  depots  he  formed  composite  infantry 
regiments.  The  Minister  of  the  Interior,  assisted  by  his 
brother,  Leon  Chevreau,  prefect  of  the  department  of  the 
Oise,  whom  he  had  summoned  to  his  aid,  succeeded  in 
three  weeks  in  arming  and  equipping  eighty  new  battalions 
of  the  National  Guard,  bringing  the  army  of  Paris  to  a 
total  of  270,000  combatants.  The  inner  ring  of  fortifica- 
tions and  the  outlying  forts  received  1,800  pieces  of  heavy 
ordnance,  of  which  a  considerable  number  had  been  bor- 
rowed from  the  Navy.  The  Minister  of  Public  Works 
gave  orders  for  the  breaking  down  of  the  bridges  and  the 

in 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

locks  and  the  blocking  of  the  tunnels,  in  order  to  delay  the 
passage  of  the  siege  artillery  which  the  Prussians  were 
bringing  against  Paris. 

In  view  of  the  investment  of  the  capital,  Grandperret, 
the  Keeper  of  the  Seals,  prepared  to  organize  a  second 
Government,  which  should  establish  its  seat  at  Tours  and 
was  to  include,  besides  himself,  Prince  de  La  Tour  d'Au- 
vergne,  Brame,  Magne  and  Busson-Billault.  To  Cle- 
ment Duvernois  was  allotted  the  task  of  provisioning 
Paris.  He  caused  35,000  head  of  cattle  and  280,000  sheep 
to  be  pastured  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne  and  in  the  Luxem- 
bourg Gardens.  His  successor,  Magnin,  one  of  the  Minis- 
ters of  the  Gouvernement  de  la  Defense  Nationale, 
paid  to  him  the  following  remarkable  tribute:  "All  the 
living  animals  had  been  brought  in  under  the  administra- 
tion of  M.  Clement  Duvernois.  I  say  'all,'  because  the 
number  of  those  brought  in  under  my  administration  was 
very  trifling.  To  him  (which  I  loyally  recognize)  is  due 
the  honor,  if  honor  there  be,  of  having  provisioned 
Paris." 

Some  years  later  Duvernois,  one  of  the  most  active, 
adaptable  and  brilliant  minds  I  have  ever  known,  died 
miserably  and  broken-hearted,  after  leaving  the  Maison 
Centrale  at  Poissy,  where,  in  consequence  of  speculation 
which  ended  disastrously,  the  justice  of  his  country  had 
sent  him  to  make  list  slippers. 

Far  be  it  from  me  to  credit  the  Empress  with  having 
initiated  every  act  of  her  Ministers;  but  there  are  several 
measures  that  she  herself  suggested,  or  of  which  she 
hastened  the  accomplishment.  As  one  special  instance,  I 
can  cite  the  armament  of  the  Paris  forts  with  naval  guns 
and  the  destruction  of  the  locks.  Her  influence  made 
itself  felt  in  everything,  and  the  desire  shown  by  certain 

112 


Empress   Eugenie's    Two   Aims 

of  these  men  to  merit  her  praise  is  astonishing.  I  said  to 
her  one  day:  "I  begin  to  believe  that  the  Salic  law  is 
quite  wrong,  because  men  will  do  more  for  you  than  they 
would  do  for  the  Emperor." 

One  day  Henri  Chevreau  at  the  Ministry  of  the  In- 
terior, speaking  to  me  of  her,  was  so  overcome  by  his 
feelings  that  he  began  to  sob.  Merimee,  who  had  known 
her  so  many  years,  and  who  never  doubted  her  courage, 
was  full  of  admiration.  He  wrote  in  glowing  terms  to 
Panizzi  and  toMme.  deMontijo:  "She  is  firm  as  a  rock!" 
And  Trochu  himself  said,  a  little  later:  "That  woman  is 
a  Roman!" 

She  occasionally  received  strange  visitors.  One  day 
Admiral  Jurien  brought  with  him  Francois  Buloz,  who  had 
the  air  of  a  man  brought  against  his  will  into  a  low  haunt; 
another  day  it  was  Girardin.  A  certain  ecclesiastical  hum- 
bug also  prowled  round  the  Tuileries  and  found  his  way  in 
on  several  occasions.  He  was  a  converted  Jew  and  a  more 
or  less  repentant  rake,  who  finished  as  he  had  begun — by  a 
scandal.  But  at  that  time  he  had  the  reputation  of  an 
apostle.  With  violet  silk  buttons  on  his  cassock,  he  caused 
himself  to  be  addrest  as  "Monseigneur,"  and  I  believe 
he  tried  to  give  us  his  benediction  when  we  were  not  look- 
ing. He  brought  the  consolations  of  religion  to  those  who 
did  not  want  them,  and  gave  advice  to  those  who  would 
have  none  of  it. 

The  Empress  continued  her  course  without  turning  to 
the  right  or  left,  uninfluenced  either  by  the  plaintive  or 
the  officious.  She  stuck  to  her  two  objects:  to  bring  to- 
gether men  of  goodwill  in  one  common  patriotic  effort,  and 
to  raise  up  allies  for  France. 

Overtures  were  made  individually  to  the  deputies  of 
the  Left.    What  was  asked  of  them?     Simply  a  truce  to 

"3 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

suspend  their  anti-dynastic  efforts,  and  to  think  of  nothing 
but  the  national  peril.  These  overtures  were  not  wel- 
comed. M.  Jules  Grevy  was  the  only  one  who  listened  to 
this  appeal  to  his  patriotism  and  his  conscience.  That  is 
why  he  was  entirely  put  on  one  side  later,  and  rested  under 
suspicion  during  the  period  which  immediately  followed 
September  4.  One  searches  vainly  in  history  for  a  group 
of  politicians  equally  malevolent,  and  equally  furiously 
and  implacably  selfish,  as  the  irreconcilables  of  1870. 
Whilst  accusing  the  Emperor  of  humiliating  France  before 
foreigners,  they  refused  him  the  means  of  reorganizing  the 
Army,  which  alone  could  have  enabled  him  to  speak  boldly 
and  to  act  vigorously.  They  clamored  for  war  because 
it  was  popular,  but  they  feared  it  because  a  victory  would 
have  restored  the  prestige  of  the  Sovereign.  They  took 
courage  again  in  August,  when  they  saw  the  Government 
disarmed  and  three  hundred  thousand  bayonets  in  the 
hands  of  the  Parisian  populace,  and  they  resigned  them- 
selves placidly  to  the  repeated  defeats  which  carved  out 
their  own  road  to  power.  One  may  remember  a  sentence 
which  appeared  on  January  1,  1 871,  in  a  well-known 
review:  "In  spite  of  the  awful  disasters  which  the  year 
1870  has  brought  upon  us,  yet,  because  it  has  seen  the 
overthrow  of  the  Empire,  this  year  has  not  been  entirely 
barren.  There  should  be  some  gratitude  mingled  with  our 
curses,  and,  in  fact,  when  the  accounts  are  balanced  we 
may  well  bless  it." 

The  writer  of  this  sentence  belonged  to  another  party, 
and  there  was  no  necessity  for  him  to  voice  this  cynical 
display  of  evil  sentiments;  but  it,  nevertheless,  reflected 
faithfully  the  outlook  of  the  members  of  the  Left.  One 
of  them  remarked  on  September  4,  with  a  triumphant  air: 

"The  Emperor  and  the  Army  are  both  caught  in  the  same 

114 


The   Empress    Continues   to    Negotiate 

cast  of  the  net.  Nothing  is  lacking!"  They  were  not  far 
from  regarding  Bismarck  as  a  benefactor,  and,  in  fact,  it 
was  Bismarck  who  gave  the  Republic  to  France,  hoping 
that  the  gift  would  kill  her. 

One  can  quite  understand  that  men  who  profest 
these  sentiments  remained  deaf  to  the  advances  of  the 
Empress.  Monsieur  Thiers  was  also  sounded.  He  was 
found,  however,  to  be  equally  ill-disposed,  although  he  was 
careful  not  to  commit  himself  to  a  single  definite  statement. 

The  Empress  had  re-started  her  negotiations,  or  I 
should  say  her  conversations,  with  Prince  Metternich,  and 
these  conversations  were  not  very  far,  towards  the  middle 
of  August,  from  leading  to  a  practical  result.  In  order 
to  keep  the  Emperor  well  informed  as  to  all  that  was  said 
and  done,  and  to  explain  her  own  acts,  which  might  other- 
wise have  appeared  like  a  usurpation  of  power,  the  Em- 
press thought  of  going  to  Metz,  but  at  this  moment  the 
Emperor  resigned  the  command  to  Marshal  Bazaine,  and 
left  headquarters  at  Metz  to  return  to  Chalons;  it  was  not 
possible  to  join  him  on  the  road.  Besides,  in  Paris,  the 
lull  which  had  followed  the  nomination  of  the  new  Minis- 
try had  lasted  only  a  few  days,  and  the  alarm  of  the  14th 
showed  how  necessary  was  the  presence  of  the  Empress  in 
the  capital. 

On  that  day,  towards  four  o'clock,  a  handful  of  men  led 
by  Blanqui  and  Eudes  attacked  the  fire  station  at  La 
Villette,  and  attempted  to  stir  up  the  people  to  rebellion. 
This  affray  lasted  only  a  few  moments,  and  order  was 
quickly  restored.  The  hour  apparently  had  not  yet 
struck.  The  next  day  the  deputies  of  the  Left,  when  chal- 
lenged on  the  subject  by  their  colleagues  of  the  Right,  dis- 
avowed emphatically  the  rioters  of  La  Villette.  But  their 
truthfulness  may  be  gaged  by  the  fact  that  on  the  even- 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

ing  of  September  4  their  first  care  was  to  set  Eudes  free, 
and  the  next  day  he  appeared  at  the  Town  Hall  of  the 
XVIIth  arrondissement  carrying  an  order  signed  Trochu. 

From  the  14th  to  the  17th  there  was  a  further  respite, 
but  on  the  night  of  the  17th  we  again  experienced  violent 
emotions;  a  message  from  Chalons  announced  to  the 
Regent  the  imminent  arrival  of  General  Trochu,  who  had 
just  been  appointed  Governor  of  Paris,  and  who  was  to 
"precede  the  Emperor  by  a  few  hours."  The  Emperor 
had,  indeed,  arrived  on  the  16th  at  Chalons,  and  had  held 
a  council  of  war  with  MacMahon  and  other  officers,  a 
council  at  which  Prince  Napoleon  and  Rouher  were  pres- 
ent. It  was  then  decided  that  the  Sovereign  should  re- 
turn to  the  capital,  and  that  the  army  of  MacMahon 
should  reorganize  under  the  walls  of  Paris.  Since  then 
competent  judges  have  held  and  demonstrated  that,  from 
the  point  of  view  of  strategy,  this  resolution  was  the  best 
that  could  have  been  adopted  in  the  difficult  circumstan- 
ces; but  at  that  time,  and  in  our  environment,  quite  a 
different  view  was  taken.  It  was  said  that  Paris  armed, 
fortified  and  equipped,  and  full  of  enthusiasm  and  energy, 
would  be  quite  able  to  defend  itself.  What  public  opinion 
demanded  with  violent  insistence  was  that  MacMahon 
should  go  to  the  assistance  of  Bazaine,  who  was  already 
nearly  surrounded,  that  Bazaine  should  be  extricated,  and 
that  the  two  marshals  together  should  then  strike  a  great 
blow.  The  Minister  of  War  lent  to  this  plan  all  the 
strength  of  his  authority.  He  also  claimed  the  right  to 
direct  the  military  operations  as  a  whole  and  to  give 
orders  to  MacMahon. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Minister  of  the  Interior  and 
the  Prefect  of  Police  had  more  than  once  exprest  the 
well-founded  opinion  that  the  return  of  the  Emperor  to 

116 


More    Consultations 


Paris  would  be  the  signal  for  a  sanguinary  revolution.  It 
is  easy  to  see,  then,  that  the  Empress  was  quite  upset  on 
learning  the  decision  from  Chalons. 

As  for  the  nomination  of  General  Trochu,  she  could 
not  understand  it.  We  learned  later  that  it  was  chiefly 
the  work  of  Prince  Napoleon;  Marshal  MacMahon  and 
Rouher  told  the  Commission  of  Inquiry  on  the  events  of 
September  4  all  that  passed,  and  anyone  who  refers  to 
their  evidence  will  be  enlightened  as  to  the  circumstances 
which  led  to  and  accompanied  this  deplorable  resolution. 
However,  as  the  nomination  of  General  Trochu  was  an 
accomplished  fact,  one  had  to  be  prepared  to  receive  him 
and  to  convert  him  if  possible  to  the  views  of  the  Govern- 
ment. I  went  at  once  to  find  Pietri,  who  had  gone  to  bed, 
and  brought  him  back  with  me.  He  was  appaled  at  what 
had  happened,  and  at  the  consequences  that  he  foresaw 
would  result. 

We  found  the  Empress  already  in  consultation  with 
the  new  Governor.  Henri  Chevreau  and  Admiral  Jurien 
were  also  present.  This  meeting  was  long,  agitated, 
more  or  less  incoherent,  and  interspersed  with  burlesque 
episodes. 

The  Admiral,  who  was  devoted  body  and  soul  to  the 
Empress,  but  who  at  the  same  time  was  an  old  comrade  of 
the  General's,  wished  literally  to  thrust  them  into  each 
other's  arms.  "Embrace  him,  Madame,"  he  cried;  "he 
is  an  honest  fellow!"  The  General  smiled,  stiffened  a 
little,  biting  his  moustache,  feeling  doubtless  a  trifle  em- 
barrassed. The  Empress  neither  agreed  nor  refused.  She 
knew  that  these  kinds  of  actions  are  useful  sometimes  with 
a  crowd,  but  she  did  not  see  the  necessity  of  such  a  panto- 
mime in  the  midst  of  a  grave  and  important  discussion, 

before  three  or  four  witnesses  who  knew  the  inward  mean- 

117 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

ing  of  the  whole  business  and  the  personal  feelings  at  the 
back  of  it.    So  finally  there  was  no  embracing. 

This  comic  incident  was  succeeded  by  a  serious  dis- 
cussion which  rose  to  tragic  heights.  Must  the  return  of 
the  Emperor  and  the  army  be  prevented?  Trochu  de- 
fended the  double  measure  which  he  had  helped  to  decide. 
The  Empress  and  her  counselors  pleaded  on  the  opposite 
side,  and  she  said:  "Do  you  know,  General,  that  fifty 
armed  men  could  come  straight  into  this  room  and  murder 
me  without  any  difficulty?  But  they  do  not  attack  me. 
Why?  Simply  because  I  do  not  defend  myself,  and  be- 
cause they  know  that  if  I  disappeared  the  Empire  would 
still  remain.  But  imagine  the  Emperor  in  this  palace, 
which  is  the  trap  in  which  Sovereigns  are  caught.  What 
would  happen  to  him?  Imagine  the  onslaught  of  all  the 
bitter  enemies  who  are  now  combined  against  him.  There 
would  be  two  alternatives:  either  the  Army  would  side 
with  him,  and  then  there  would  be  civil  war  between  the 
Army  and  the  armed  people  of  Paris;  or  else  the  troops 
would  desert  him,  and  revolution  and  massacre  would  fol- 
low. In  either  case  who  will  be  the  gainers?  The  Prus- 
sians." The  General  yielded.  "Yes,"  he  admitted,  "the 
Emperor  cannot  enter  Paris,  but  the  strategic  movement 
indicated  by  MacMahon  must  follow  its  course."  "Then 
where  will  the  Emperor  go?"  It  was,  indeed,  a  puzzling 
problem.  This  man  who  had  been  the  absolute  master  of 
France,  who  had  vanquished  Russia  and  Austria,  who  had 
made  Italy,  and  who  less  than  three  weeks  earlier  was  still 
the  most  powerful  Sovereign  of  the  world,  had  no  longer 
any  place  among  the  people  that  he  had  governed.  He 
had  leftMetz,  so  as  not  to  embarrass  Bazaine;  MacMahon 
wished  to  send  him  back  to  Paris,  and  Paris  threw  him 

back  on  MacMahon  like  a  shuttlecock  on  a  racquet.    If  he 

118 


Telling   the    Emperor 


were  to  keep  away  from  his  second  army,  as  he  had  from 
his  first  one,  and  at  the  same  time  was  forbidden  to  enter 
his  capital,  where  was  he  to  go? 

When  the  new  Governor  had  left  us  I  had  the  cruel 
task  of  drawing  up  the  message  addrest  to  the  Emperor 
by  the  Regent.  She  had  given  me  a  kind  of  rough  draft, 
which  I  materially  softened;  I  could  have  wished  to  do 
much  more.  I  should  have  liked  the  dispatch  to  have 
been  simply  an  account  of  the  situation,  which  threw  the 
onus  of  responsibility  on  to  the  Minister  of  War,  the  Min- 
ister of  the  Interior,  the  Prefect  of  Police,  and  the  others, 
for  the  advice  they  had  given,  and  which  would  have  left 
the  Sovereign  a  free  agent. 

"Do  you  think,"  said  the  Empress,  "that  I  am  not 
the  first  to  feel  all  that  is  horrible  in  his  position?  But 
the  message  that  you  propose  to  send  would  not  stop  him, 
and  he  is  lost  if  we  do  not  stop  him."1 

The  Empress  has  been  much  criticized  for  having  in- 
fluenced in  this  manner  the  Emperor's  decisions,  and  thus, 
indirectly,  the  conduct  of  the  military  operations.  Some 
have  gone  so  far  as  to  impute  to  her  all  the  subsequent 
misfortunes. 

One  forgets  that  the  Empress  actually  did  nothing  but 
transmit  to  the  Sovereign,  as  was  her  duty,  the  opinion  of 
the  Ministers.  When,  however,  she  endorsed  that  opinion 
with  so  much  emphasis,  she  took  upon  herself,  with  her 
usual  courage  and  generosity,  a  heavy  responsibility, 
which,  constitutionally,  did  not  rest  with  her,  and  which  a 
little  care  in  wording  might  easily  have  avoided.  She 
sheltered  the  men  who  ought  to  have  sheltered  her,  and 
who  were  happy  to  be  able  to  take  refuge  behind  her. 

1  The  message  in  question  is  not  the  telegram  sent  at  once  to  Chalons  and 
drawn  up  in  the  presence  of  General  Trochu,  but  the  explanatory  letter  which 
followed. 

119 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Those  who  judge  her  severely  because  she  prevented  the 
Emperor  from  reentering  Paris,  and  who  accuse  her  of 
having  brought  about  the  disaster  of  Sedan,  ought  in  jus- 
tice to  ask  themselves  if  another  catastrophe  would  not 
have  been  the  result  of  a  contrary  resolution  ?  What  let- 
ters of  blood  would  have  covered  that  unwritten  page  of 
our  history  which  described,  under  the  date  of  August  17, 
the  return  of  the  Sovereign  into  the  midst  of  a  people 
maddened  with  exasperation  and  bitterness  and  athirst  for 
vengeance?  And,  on  the  other  hand,  one  may  well  ask 
what  might  have  come  of  MacMahon's  march  to  the  north 
if  it  had  been  conducted  by  a  commander  more  daring  and 
more  resourceful  than  the  one  who  had  never  even  at- 
tempted to  hold  the  impregnable  rampart  of  the  Vosges. 

At  the  same  time,  even  if  we  admit  that  the  march  to  the 
north  was  a  grave  fault,  the  fault  was  not  irreparable,  and 
need  not  have  led  to  a  capitulation,  if  MacMahon,  on 
reaching  Stenay,  had  been  authorized  to  take  the  Mezieres 
road. 

The  War  Minister  enjoined  him  peremptorily  to  march 
on  Sedan,  and  this  time  the  Regent,  whatever  may  have 
been  her  personal  opinion,  made  no  comment.  Would  to 
God  that  she  had  been  equally  reserved  on  the  17th  of 
August! 

Comparative  calm  reigned  in  Paris  during  the  days  that 
followed.  Everything  had  been  conceded  to  popular  feel- 
ing. The  Emperor  had  effaced  himself  in  favor  of  Ba- 
zaine;  Trochu,  the  other  public  favorite,  was  in  power 
in  Paris,  as  a  kind  of  dictator.  The  capitol  was  stript 
of  troops,  and  the  whole  population  was  about  to  be  armed. 
The  Mobiles  from  Paris,  on  being  sent  into  camp  at 
Chalons,  had  merely  to  mutiny  and  insult  their  general  in 
order  to  get  their  own  way.     "I  am  bringing  you  back 

120 


The   Committee   for   Defence 

with  me  to  Paris,"  said  Trochu  to  them,  "to  fight  there,  as 
is  your  right."1 

No  one  seemed  to  realize  that  we  lived  under  martial 
law.  The  Governor — the  highest  military  authority  in 
Paris — wrote  a  letter  to  Le  Temps,  in  which  he  declared 
that  he  would  only  use  "moral  force";  this  amounted 
to  telling  the  extremists  that  they  could  go  to  any  lengths, 
and  that  the  Government  was  defenseless  before  them. 

Instead  of  effacing  themselves  before  the  military 
power,  the  Legislature  seemed  ready  to  encroach  on  the 
domain  of  the  Executive,  and  to  assume  the  airs  of  a  Con- 
vention. Latour-Dumoulin  wished  the  Assembly  to 
assume  the  Imperial  Prerogative,  depose  Palikao,  and  re- 
place him  by  Trochu.  Jules  Favre  clamored  for  a  kind 
of  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  on  the  plea  that  it  was 
necessary  to  enforce  the  new  laws.  And  when,  on  August 
19,  a  decree  of  the  Empress  instituted,  under  the  presi- 
dency of  General  Trochu,  the  committee  for  the  defense 
of  the  fortifications  of  Paris,  exclusively  composed  of  mili- 
tary men  and  specialists,  the  Left  proposed  to  add  to  them 
nine  deputies.  This  would  have  given  the  committee  a 
marked  political  character,  and  would,  in  fact,  have  con- 
stituted a  second  Government  outside — and  above — the 
legal  one.  The  Ministry  refused  this,  and  put  it  to  a  vote 
of  confidence.  They  obtained  a  considerable  majority, 
but  this  apparent  victory  had  been  bought  by  a  previous 
arrangement,  under  which  three  deputies  and  one  senator 
were  to  be  nominated  on  the  committee.  M.  Thiers  was 
an  obvious  person  to  be  put  on  this  committee,  but  once 
again  he  tried  to  shuffle  out  of  it.    He  was  hesitating,  torn 

1  What  would  have  been  said  if  the  Mobiles  of  the  other  departments  had  claimed 
the  same  privilege?  Par  from  recognizing  this  pretended  "right,"  a  law  was 
passed  authorizing  the  Government  to  draft  them  into  the  regiments  of  the  first 
line  army. 

121 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

between  the  desire  to  keep  his  reviving  popularity  in  re- 
serve for  better  times  and  less  formidable  responsibilities, 
and  the  almost  irresistible  temptation  he  felt  to  meddle  in 
military  matters  and  to  tamper  with  the  Army.  At  first  he 
said  "No,"  but  he  seized  the  first  opportunity  to  alter  his 
decision.  When  Henri  Chavreau  announced  the  march  of 
the  Crown  Prince  of  Prussia  and  his  army  on  Paris,  Thiers 
declared  that  under  the  circumstances  no  citizen  could  re- 
fuse his  help  to  the  Government.  He  was  at  once  nomi- 
nated a  member  of  the  committee.  His  influence  was 
equally  preponderant  there  as  it  was  in  the  Chamber.  He 
held  the  majority  in  his  hands,  and  he  believed  himself,  up 
to  the  last  moment,  to  be  the  arbiter  of  the  parliamentary 
situation. 

But  if  M.  Thiers  was  all-powerful  at  the  Palais  Bour- 
bon, General  Trochu  was  the  idol  of  the  Parisians.  I 
would  willingly  remain  silent  concerning  this  strange 
man,  whom  I  am  by  no  means  sure  I  understand  prop- 
erly. His  fine  military  record  (previous  to  the  revo- 
lutionary period),  his  great  talents,  his  rare  virtues,  im- 
press me,  in  spite  of  myself,  with  respect,  and  in  the  long 
voluntary  retirement  in  which  his  life  drew  to  a  close  I  am 
forced  to  render  him  homage.  Yes,  I  would  fain  leave  him 
in  peace  in  that  grave  into  which  he  descended  with  so 
much  dignity  and  simplicity.  But  how  can  it  be  done? 
By  what  means  can  I  relate  the  events  of  September  4 
without  mentioning  this  man,  who  not  only  submitted  to 
and  completed  the  revolution,  but  actually  commenced  it, 
as  we  shall  presently  see,  and  who,  while  able  to  prevent  it, 
rendered  it  inevitable? 

At  any  rate,  why  not  admit  it?  Trochu,  with  all  his 
contradictions,  is  an  historical  problem,  which  attracts  and 
perplexes,  an  enigma,  that  we,  his  contemporaries,  have 

122 


General    Trochu 


not  been  able  to  decipher — one  which  will  even  baffle  the 
historian  when  the  hour  for  the  historian  strikes,  and  I 
believe  the  hour  has  struck  now,  since  we,  who  knew  these 
men  personally  and  were  eye-witnesses  of  these  events,  are 
about  to  disappear. 

How  could  this  man,  so  honest  and  spotless  in  his  daily 
life,  a  man  who  seemed  a  veritable  saint,  eager  for  self- 
sacrifice,  how  could  such  a  one  unhesitatingly  and  remorse- 
lessly violate  his  most  sacred  promises  ?  Again,  how  could 
this  ambitious  and  incorrigible  talker  decide  to  quit  the 
political  world  and  endure  thirty  years  of  self-inflicted 
silence  and  obscurity?  Possibly  an  explanation  may  be 
forthcoming  some  day.  All  I  can  say  is  that  in  August, 
1870,  we  wondered  what  sort  of  man  we  had  to  deal  with  in 
him — was  he  a  buffoon  or  a  tribune,  a  hero  or  a  traitor? 
The  Empire  fell,  and  still  we  were  no  wiser.  We  spoke 
smilingly  of  a  legendary  plan  of  defense  said  to  have  been 
placed  by  him  in  the  keeping  of  a  notary,  and  I  really  be- 
lieve that,  in  the  universal  anxiety  to  clutch  at  any  straw, 
many  Parisians  imagined  that  salvation  was  really  hidden 
in  some  sealed  docket  in  Maitre  Ducoux's  safe.  Nearly 
every  day  the  Cabinet  was  confronted  with  some  fresh  out- 
burst of  this  fantastic  in  uniform — sorties  as  ill-timed  and 
unsuccessful  as  those  made  later  by  the  garrison  of  Paris. 

One  day  he  would  begin  thus:  "Madame,  I  have  an 
income  of  a  hundred  francs  and  eleven  children."  (He 
was  speaking  of  his  brother's  children,  whom  he  had 
adopted,  and  whom  he  brought  up  most  strictly;  but  he 
succeeded  in  throwing  ridicule  on  this  fine  action,  and  the 
eleven  children — recalling  some  recent  music-hall  joke — 
convulsed  everyone.)  "  I  need  money  for  my  equipment," 
he  continued.  "I  must  have  twenty  thousand  francs— 
that  is  to  say,  a  year's  salary;  for  I  will  not  hear  of  accept- 

123 


Recollections    of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

ing  one  of  those  scandalous  salaries  of  which  the  Empire 
has  given  a  sad  example."  The  Minister  of  War  stopt 
his  dissertation.  "General,  go  to  the  Treasury  and  take 
what  you  require.  You  have  no  need  to  consult  the  Re- 
gent about  a  question  of  pay."  Another  day  he  thought  fit 
to  recite  to  the  council  a  speech  that  he  had  just  delivered 
to  the  National  Guards.  In  this  he  had  exhorted  them  to 
die  well,  and  to  maintain  "in  the  supreme  agony  that  trag- 
ically proud  attitude  which  alike  became  men,  citizens  and 
soldiers."  This  time  it  was  the  Empress  who  interrupted 
him.  "Mon  Dieu!  General,"  said  she,  "one  dies  as  one 
can!"  But  these  lessons  were  lost  on  him;  common  sense, 
irony,  insult  never  affected  him.  I  still  seem  to  see  him, 
an  upright  figure,  tightly  buttoned  into  his  uniform,  but 
fidgety  and  agitated  in  his  demeanor,  his  proud,  refined 
expression,  his  large  bald  head,  his  comprest  lips,  his 
eyes,  ever  shifting,  full  of  fire,  the  eye's  of  a  visionary. 
One  felt  him  to  be  a  mixture  of  incompatibles,  a  man 
whom  everything  hurt  and  yet  whom  nothing  turned;  one 
almost  morbidly  touchy,  yet  invincibly  obstinate,  admir- 
ably intelligent  in  his  own  ideas,  but  thoroughly  imper- 
vious to  those  of  others. 

The  Ministers  became  uneasy  when  they  saw  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Army,  the  man  who  wielded  the  formida- 
ble powers  of  martial  law,  laying  down  his  arms,  so  to 
speak,  before  the  revolution  and  appealing  to  "moral 
force."  Clement  Duvernois  prest  Trochu  to  explain 
himself  on  this  point.  "Then,  General,"  he  said,  "if  the 
Regent  were  attacked,  what  would  you  do  ? "  The  General 
replied:  "I  should  lay  down  my  life  on  the  steps  of  the 
throne."  His  relations  with  the  members  of  the  Left 
during   this    second    fortnight   of   August   have   been   at 

one  time  a  matter  of  controversy.     It  had  been  arranged 

124 


The    Regent  at   the    Helm 


that  these  relations  should  be  positively  denied,  so  as  to 
give  the  conversion  of  the  general  to  the  Republic  at 
three  o'clock  on  the  afternoon  of  the  Fourth  of  September 
the  character  of  a  spontaneous  act,  free  from  all  premedita- 
tion, a  providential  inspiration,  or,  simply,  an  acceptance 
of  the  inevitable.  Hence  the  tissue  of  pitiable  and  contra- 
dictory untruths  which  make  one  blush  for  those  who  fell 
so  low  as  to  invent  them.  Ernest  Picard  affirmed,  "I 
never  saw  General  Trochu  before  I  met  him  at  the  Hotel 
de  Ville  on  the  Fourth  of  September."  "Take  care  what 
you  are  saying,  my  dear  colleague,"  interrupted  the 
Marquis  d'Andellarre,  "/  saw  you  at  his  house."  The  fat 
fellow,  quite  unperturbed,  answered  with  that  good  na- 
tured  effrontery  which  used  to  be  appreciated  in  those  days, 
"Since  you  know  it  I  won't  conceal  it  from  you."  Jules 
Favre  has  told  later  of  his  interview  with  the  Governor  of 
Paris  on  August  21.  As  for  us,  we  heard  edifying  tales. 
"Madame,"  said  the  general  to  her  Majesty,  "if  your 
police  are  really  efficient  they  will  have  told  you  that  I 
have  seen  the  Deputies  of  the  Left.  ...  It  is  quite  true, 
as  I  feel  that  my  duty  is  to  keep  in  touch  with  public 
opinion."  He  took  this  opportunity  of  affirming  once 
more  his  devotion  to  the  person  of  the  Sovereign  and  his 
firm  intention  of  defending  her.  To  be  quite  honest,  I  will 
add  that  she  placed  no  reliance  on  this  devotion,  and  the 
sequel  has  proved  that  she  was  right. 

Whilst  following  or  inspiring  the  acts  of  her  ministers, 
the  Regent  reserved  to  herself  certain  duties  which 
seemed  peculiarly  suitable  to  her.  She  gave  singularly 
businesslike  orders  for  the  removal  to  Brest  of  certain 
priceless  treasures  of  our  museums  and  other  items  of  our 
national  collections.  She  inspected  the  military  hospitals, 
and  her  visit  to   the  Val-de-Grace  was   the  occasion  of 

"5 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

several  touching  episodes  of  which  she  told  me.  I  re- 
member, among  others,  the  case  of  a  poor  Turco1  whose 
rifle  had  been  taken  away  when  they  amputated  his  arm 
and  who  regretted  the  lost  weapon  much  more  than  the 
vanished  limb.  The  Empress  obtained  (or  promised,  I 
forget  which)  the  return  of  the  rifle,  and  she  was  moved 
to  tears  when  she  described  the  joy  which  had  illumined 
the  face  of  the  poor  mutilated  soldier.  Not  content  with 
visiting  the  hospitals,  she  had  one  established  on  the 
Terrace  of  the  Tuileries,  and  another  inside  the  palace  in 
the  memorable  hall  where  the  Convention  used  to  sit. 
This  hall  lay  between  the  staircase  of  the  Pavilion  de 
Marsan  and  the  vestibule  of  the  chapel,  and  in  1867  a 
grand  banquet  had  been  given  there  to  some  foreign  Sov- 
ereigns, of  which  the  magnificence,  chronicled  by  all  the 
papers  of  the  time,  has  been  preserved  by  a  very  interest- 
ing and  accurate  painting  now  at  Farnborough.  But  all 
the  decorations  previously  arranged  for  the  fete  had  now 
disappeared,  and  the  walls  had  again  resumed  their  chill- 
ing bareness  when  I  saw  them  for  the  first  time.  In  1868 
and  1869  I  had  my  private  apartment  in  the  Pavilion  de 
Marsan,  and  many  times  a  day  I  crossed  this  hall  on  a 
narrow  bridge,  along  the  window  side  towards  the  Place 
du  Carrousel.  At  night  a  single  lamp  illumined  this  huge 
deserted  hall,  peopled  with  terrible  memories.  These  I 
would  often  muse  over  as  I  stopt  at  the  spot  once  occu- 
pied by  the  chair  of  the  president,  where  Boissy  d'Anglas 
had  saluted  the  bleeding  head  of  Feraud,  and  where 
Thuriot  had  listened  impassively  to  the  outbursts  of 
Robespierre  at  bay:  "President  of  assassins,  once  more 
I  ask  your  ear!"  I  saw  in  imagination  the  "Mountain," 
the  "Plain,"  the  "Marsh,"  and  the  crowded  tribunes;  I 

1  Algerian  Native  Infantry  (Translator's  Note). 
126 


MacMahon    Marches    North 


fancied  I  could  hear  the  shrieking  clamor  of  the  "tri- 
coteuses"  and  the  drums  of  the  "sections"  hastening  to 
the  attack  or  to  the  rescue  of  the  Assembly;  and  I  would 
call  up  one  or  other  of  the  acts  of  the  mighty  drama  of 
which  this  sinister  hall  has  been  the  scene.  But  the  last 
time  I  was  there  its  appearance  had  once  more  changed. 
Thirty  beds,  many  of  which  were  already  occupied,  re- 
placed the  phantoms  of  the  past,  and  the  Empress  flitted 
from  one  to  the  other,  surrounded  by  the  good  Sisters  of 
Charity  in  white  aprons,  who  were  the  last  occupants  of 
this  hall. 

It  was  on  the  23  d  that  MacMahon  began  that  march 
towards  the  north,  from  which  he  expected  no  good,  but 
on  which  the  Parisians  and  ourselves  had  built  all  kinds 
of  wild  hopes.  The  25th  or  26th  at  the  earliest,  but 
surely  the  27th  and  28th  would  see,  so  we  believed,  despite 
all  probability,  the  junction  of  the  two  armies.  One  after- 
noon in  that  week  I  happened  to  go  to  the  Luxembourg 
on  some  urgent  business,  and  on  the  staircase  I  came  face 
to  face  with  the  senators  who  were  leaving  the  meeting. 
Many  came  up  to  me  and  surrounded  me,  asking  for  con- 
firmation of  the  current  rumor,  and  as  I  sadly  shook  my 
head,  "Yes!  yes!"  cried  several,  "it  is  absolutely  true, 
lis  se  donnent  la  main,  they  have  joined  hands."  This 
was  on  the  lips  of  all.  I  knew  only  too  well  that  nothing 
could  be  more  false,  and  that  as  yet  it  was  impossible  for 
the  two  marshals  to  be  in  touch  with  one  another.  How- 
ever, M.  Franceschini  Pietri's  dispatches  left  me  some 
room  for  hope  up  to  the  30th,  but  that  night  towards 
midnight  a  telegram  arrived  which  announced  the  defeat 
of  De  Failly's  Corps  and  the  mutiny  of  part  of  his  troops. 

I  thought  it  useless  to  awaken  the  Empress,  who  was 

very  tired  and  ill,  so  I  kept  this  disastrous  news  to  myself 

127 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

all  night,  still  hoping  that  another  telegram  would  follow, 
correcting  or  at  any  rate  modifying  this  first  depressing 
news.  And,  indeed,  at  seven  in  the  morning  of  the  31st 
a  second  dispatch  told  me  that  the  troops  had  rallied  and 
returned  to  their  duty.  These  two  dispatches  ought  to 
have  arrived  almost  at  the  same  time,  this  was  evident 
from  the  context.  This  fact,  joined  to  some  others,  caused 
me  to  suspect  the  fidelity  of  the  employees  of  our  tele- 
graphic bureau.  I  became  almost  certain  that  the  tele- 
grams— more  or  less  accurately  deciphered — had  gone  to 
the  Rue  de  la  Sourdiere  (the  general  headquarters  of  the 
Revolutionary  Party)  before  being  delivered  to  me.  I 
mentioned  my  belief  to  Conti,  the  Emperor's  chief  secre- 
tary, who  had  just  come  back  to  Paris,  but  whose  state  of 
health  prevented  him  doing  much  active  work. 

I  went  at  once  to  the  telegraphic  bureau  and  told  the 
employees  that  if  I  once  put  my  hand  on  the  author  of  the 
leakage,  he  would  appear  two  hours  after  before  a  court- 
martial!  A  few  sneered,  but  one  man  turned  very  pale. 
From  that  moment  I  became  an  object  of  spite  to  those 
scoundrels;  and,  circumstances  aiding,  their  revenge  was 
not   longed   delayed. 

No  communication  from  the  Imperial  Headquarters 
arrived  during  the  fatal  days  of  September  1  and  2,  which 
dragged  their  hopeless  length  regardless  of  our  mortal 
anxiety,  which  increased  as  the  total  absence  of  news 
became,  hour  by  hour,  ever  more  significant  of  disaster. 

The  Empress  was  consumed  with  anxiety  for  the 
Emperor  and  for  the  Army;  she  also  worried  greatly  about 
her  son,  who  at  this  time  was  wandering  from  town  to 
town  on  the  north-eastern  frontier,  accompanied  by  some 
devoted  officers  and  a  mere  handful  of  Cent  Gardes.1    A 

1  The  name  given  to  the  Emperor's  mounted   Body  Guard  (Translator's  Note). 

128 


Protecting   the    Prince   Imperial 

private  letter  from  Avesnes,  dated  August  30  (it  emanated 
from  a  journalist  devoted  to  the  Empire),  had  informed 
us  of  the  sentiments  of  the  people  there.  The  aides-de- 
camp of  the  Prince  were  receiving  different,  if  not  contra- 
dictory, orders  from  the  Emperor  and  from  the  Empress; 
they  did  not  know  what  to  do  and  the  responsibility  fright- 
ened them.  They  feared,  above  all  things,  being  sud- 
denly surrounded  in  some  small  fortified  place  by  the 
Prussians;  this  would  have  cut  them  off  from  information 
about  events  and  have  deprived  the  Prince  of  his  personal 
liberty  and  freedom  of  action.  The  Empress  could  not 
see  the  force  of  this  argument;  here  is  a  very  characteristic 
letter  which  she  wrote  to  Charles  Duperre,  the  oldest  and 
highest  in  rank  of  the  aides-de-camp,  and  who  in  conse- 
quence was  in  a  position  of  authority  in  the  Prince's 
entourage:  "I  am  not  in  favor  of  these  wanderings  from 
town  to  town.  You  must  remain  where  you  are.  If  the 
town  were  taken,  it  would  be  time  to  hide  him  you  guard 
and  take  him  out  secretly.  If  Avesnes  is  impossible,  go 
to  Laon,  which  is  a  fortified  place  and  in  the  theater  of 
war.  You  have  a  duty  more  pressing  than  that  of  secu- 
rity; it  is  that  of  honor,  and  I  feel  that  this  retreat  to  Am- 
iens is  unworthy  of  him  and  of  us.  Each  one  of  us  must 
carry  out  to  the  limit  of  his  power  the  hard  duties  which 
are  imposed  on  us.  My  heart  is  torn  but  resolute.  I  have 
had  no  news  of  my  husband  or  of  you  since  yesterday. 
I  am  in  terrible  anxiety,  but  I  wish  above  all  things  that 
each  of  you  should  do  his  duty.  Always  remember  one 
thing:  I  can  weep  for  my  son  dead  or  wounded,  but  to 
think  of  him  fleeing!  I  could  never  forgive  you  if  you 
allowed  such  a  thing  to  happen.  I  appeal  to  your  honor 
as  soldiers.  Do  everything  for  the  best,  but  act  like 
soldiers.    I  will  exonerate  you  and  take  all  responsibility. 

129 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

We  shall  hold  out  in  Paris,  if  we  are  besieged,  or  if  we  are 
out  of  Paris  we  shall  still  hold  out  to  the  end.  There 
can  be  no  question  of  peace! — E." 

This  letter  was  never  sent  because  Commander  Duperre 
came  in  person  to  Paris  on  September  2  to  discuss  the 
situation  with  the  Regent  and  to  receive  her  orders.  We 
therefore  arranged  (to  meet  the  most  urgent  needs)  a 
cipher  which  only  contained  forty  words,  and  of  which 
he  carried  off  a  copy  identical  with  mine.  He  left  Paris, 
if  I  remember  correctly,  on  the  morning  of  the  3d,  and 
I  never  saw  him  again  until  we  met  in  our  common  exile.1 

The  same  morning  witnessed  the  historic  visit  of  Me- 
rimee  to  Thiers,  about  which  I  have  already  tried  to 
enlighten  the  public.  But  it  seems  that  hitherto  I  have 
only  half  succeeded,  since  I  have  apparently  failed  to 
convince  some  talented  and  sincere  writers  who  have  occu- 
pied themselves  with  these  events.  I  must  therefore 
return  to  it,  for  the  solution  of  this  point  in  history  touches 
the  honor  of  the  Regent. 

M.  Thiers  told  the  Commission  of  Inquiry  that  Me- 
rimee  presented  himself  before  him  with  a  mission  from 
the  Empress.  According  to  M.  Thiers'  account,  Me- 
rimee  came  with  two  motives — one  to  appeal  to  his 
pity,  and  the  other  to  excite  his  ambition  by  putting 
before  him  the  prospect  of  such  unlimited  power  as  he 
might  gain  under  the  Regency  of  a  woman,  with  a  Prince 
who  was  a  minor  and  a  Sovereign  who  was  a  prisoner, 
whose  throne  was  already  morally  forfeit,  and  whose 
abdication  seemed  to  be  a  foregone  conclusion.  M. 
Thiers  had  then  protested  his  respectful  sympathy  "to- 
wards a  great  and  unhappy  Princess,"  but  he  had  finally 

1  All  the  facts  relative  to  the  movements  of  the  Prince  during  the  last  days  of  the 
Empire  have  been  related  with  equal  accuracy  and  conscientiousness  by  M.  R.  Minon 
in  his  interesting  pamphlet  on  this  subject. 

130 


Merimee's   Interview   with   M.    Thiers 

declared  "that  after  Sedan  there  was  nothing  more 
to  be  done."  Seeing  that  he  could  not  move  him,  the 
plenipotentiary  of  the  Regent  had  retired,  and  in  the 
course  of  the  same  day  he  had  communicated  toM.  Thiers 
the  thanks  of  the  Regent  for  the  sympathy  which  he  had 
exprest. 

It  is  my  duty  to  repeat  and  assert  emphatically,  in 
spite  of  all  affirmations  to  the  contrary,  that  this  state- 
ment does  not  contain  one  word  of  truth.  In  the  first 
place,  the  Empress  did  not  entrust  Merimee  with  any 
mission  for  M.  Thiers.  In  the  second  place,  she  cannot 
have  asked  Merimee,  whom  she  had  not  seen  since 
August  25,  to  thank  M.  Thiers  for  a  sympathy  which  had 
never  been  conveyed  to  her.  In  the  third  place,  there 
cannot  possibly  have  been  any  mention  of  Sedan  in  their 
interview,  since  the  capitulation  was  not  known  to  any  of 
us  at  that  time. 

On  the  first  point  I  have  neve"r  had  any  doubt.  What 
would  have  been  the  use  of  such  a  mission,  since  the 
Empress  had  long  been  well  aware  of  M.  Thiers'  attitude? 
But  in  order  to  prove  my  words  here  is  the  personal  and 
distinct  evidence  of  the  Empress  herself.  When  she  first 
read  the  extraordinary  evidence  of  M.  Thiers,  she  wrote 
these  lines,  "I  never  saw  M.  Merimee  after  August  25. 
If  he  went  to  see  M.  Thiers  it  was  on  his  own  initiative 
and  out  of  friendship  for  me."  Yes,  this  step  of  Merimee's 
was  absolutely  spontaneous,  it  was  dictated  by  a  devotion 
of  forty  years,  and  by  the  supreme  illusions  that  he  re- 
tained concerning  the  generosity  of  his  old  friend.  This 
explanation  must  seem  obvious  to  those  who  know  how 
often  in  these  latter  years  Merimee  had  sounded,  had  ad- 
vised and  had  talked  toM.  Thiers  in  much  the  same  way 
without  having  been  encouraged  or  authorized  to  do  so  by 

131 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

anyone.  One  may  even  go  so  far  as  to  say  that  the  "con- 
version" of  Thiers  was  Merimee's  last  dream. 

But,  after  all,  this  is  a  minor  matter.  The  fundamental 
false  assertion  which  is  the  plain  outcome  of  M.  Thiers' 
evidence,  if  one  takes  it  seriously,  and  to  which  I  must  op- 
pose an  emphatic  denial,  consists  in  the  statement  that  the 
Empress  and  her  circle  knew  of  the  capitulation  of  Sedan 
on  the  evening  of  September  2.  M.  Thiers  relates  that 
during  the  sitting  of  the  Committee  of  Defense  h  propos 
of  some  incident  in  the  discussion,  M.  Jerome  David, 
Minister  of  Public  Works,  approached  him  and  whispered 
in  his  ear,  "Do  not  insist  upon  this,  M.  Thiers,  there  is 
important  news";  further,  that  after  the  sitting M.  Thiers 
and  M.  David  went  out  on  the  Seine  Embankment  and 
walked  for  some  considerable  time  to  and  fro  between  the 
Solferino  Bridge  and  that  of  the  Concorde,  during  which 
period  M.  Jerome  David  informed  M.  Thiers  of  the 
capitulation  of  Sedan,  and  they  discust  the  conse- 
quences. 

M.  Etienne  Lamy  has  thought  fit  to  adopt  M.  Thiers' 
version  of  this  incident,  supporting  it  by  the  evidence  of 
M.  Lara-Minot,  some  time  chief  secretary  to  M.  Jerome 
David.  Up  to  this  time  I  have  always  considered  M. 
David  as  a  high  principled  man.  I  should  deeply  regret 
to  believe  that  he  was  really  guilty  of  the  crime  attributed 
to  him  by  his  ex-secretary.  For  it  would  most  assuredly 
have  been  criminal  if,  knowing  the  news  of  the  capitulation 
on  September  2  at  11  o'clock  at  night,  he  had  communi- 
cated it  to  M.  Thiers  but  hidden  it  from  the  Government 
of  which  he  formed  part.  Such  an  action  would  have  been 
unpardonable,  and,  besides,  inexplicable.  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  he  possest  this  secret  information  in  common  with 

the  Empress  and  the  Ministry,  they  are  all  equally  re- 

132 


The    Fateful    Telegram 


sponsible  to  history  for  the  silence  which  was  maintained 
for  twenty-four  hours  and  for  the  ignorance  in  which  they 
left  the  public. 

The  real  truth  Is,  that  the  Empress  knew  nothing  of 
the  capitulation  on  the  evening  of  the  2d  or  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  3d,  and  she  knew  nothing  when  I  left  her  at 
two  o'clock  on  the  3d  to  go  to  the  Corps  legislatif.1  When, 
then,  did  she  learn  of  the  capitulation  of  Sedan? 
She  has  recorded  in  a  second  manuscript  note  which  she 
wrote  after  receiving M.  Thiers'  evidence,  "Received  dis- 
patch from  Sedan  September  3  about  five  o'clock  in  the 
evening.  M.  Chevreau,  the  Minister  of  the  Interior,  first 
handed  it  to  me  and  then  went  to  take  it  to  General 
Trochu. " 

I  can  corroborate  her  testimony  by  adding  mine  to  it, 
and  I  think  it  will  be  easily  understood  without  my  insist- 
ing upon  it,  how  the  smallest  details  of  place,  time  and 
circumstances  are  fixt  in  my  memory. 

It  was  in  the  court  of  the  Corps  legislatif  towards  three 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  that  I  first  heard  of  the  disaster 
and  of  the  telegram  which  had  announced  it  to  the  Depu- 
ties of  the  opposition.  My  friend  Gaston  Jollivet  and 
another  journalist  named  Edouard  Bouscatel,  until  then 
unknown  to  me,  told  me  about  it,  and  they  conducted  me 
to  a  group  in  the  midst  of  which  Ranc,  who  had  seen  and 
learnt  the  telegram  by  heart,  was  giving  an  account  of  it 
to  any  who  cared  to  listen.  When  I  reentered  the  Tuil- 
eries  the  council  was  sitting.  I  spoke  a  few  words  with 
M.  de  Brimont,  son-in-law  and  aide-de-camp  to  the 
War  Minister;  then  I  went  to  the  Empress's  study.  There 
I  found  Conti,  who  had  also  heard  the  news.  He  was 
shivering  with  fever  and  was  seated  on  the  ground,  with 

1  I  was  present  each  day  at  tlie  sitting  to  render  an  account  of  it  to  her. 

133 


Recollections   of  the    Empress   Eugenie 

his  back  to  the  chimney  where  I  lighted  the  fire.  Conti 
was  a  poet,  a  scholar,  a  man  of  the  old  school,  and  besides 
he  had  moral  courage,  as  he  proved  some  months  later 
when,  being  almost  dying,  in  the  midst  of  a  furious  crowd 
he  found  strength  to  cling  to  the  rostrum  and  speak  up 
for  the  rights  of  his  Imperial  master. 

Now  in  a  sort  of  prophetic  vision  of  coming  conflict  he 
was  struggling  against  physical  and  moral  pain,  murmur- 
ing that  line  of  Horace  so  often  quoted  but  which  perhaps 
has  never  been  repeated  with  more  fervor  or  with  more 
faith : 

"  Justem  et  tenacem  propositi  virum"  .  .  . 
As  he  pronounced  the  last  words  of  the  stanza,  the  Em- 
press appeared  at  the  head  of  the  little  winding  staircase 
which  connected  the  Emperor's  apartments  with  her  own. 
We  rose  hurriedly  and  went  towards  her.  At  once  we  saw 
that  she  knew  all.  She  was  pale  and  terrible,  her  eyes  were 
hard  and  brilliant  with  anger,  her  face  distorted  by  emo- 
tion. She  cried  out,  "Do  you  know  what  they  are  saying? 
That  the  Emperor  has  surrendered,  that  he  has  capitu- 
lated!   You  do  not,  surely,  believe  this  abomination?" 

Appalled  by  her  anger  we  kept  silence,  but  she  repeated 
with  unheard-of  vehemence  in  tones  almost  threatening: 
"You  do  not  believe  it?" 

"Madame,"  stammered  Conti,  "there  are  circum- 
stances where  the  bravest"  .  .  .  But  without  waiting  to 
hear  more  the  Empress  cut  short  his  words,  and  her  soul, 
stirred  to  its  innermost  depths,  poured  forth  its  agony  in 
a  torrent  of  incoherent  and  mad  words.  What  she  said 
then  Conti  never  repeated  to  anyone,  and  I  shall  die,  like 
him,  without  repeating  it. 

Whatever  she  may  have  thought  in  that  first  awful 
moment  she  did  not  think  long,  and  when  she  realized  all 

i34 


WI'OI.KON 


A   Tragic   Scene 

that  the  Emperor  had  suffered,  not  only  did  she  give  him 
back  her  respect,  but — like  the  true  woman  she  was — she 
gave  him  back  the  love  which  she  had  withheld  from  him 
for  six  years.  Personally  I  must  confess  that  I  remember 
nothing  of  this  tragic  scene  but  the  sound  of  words.  I 
was  so  overcome  at  the  time  that  my  memory  was  as  if 
paralyzed.  I  know,  however,  that  it  lasted  five  long, 
terrible  minutes.  The  Empress  then  left  the  room  and 
went  down  the  little  staircase.  We  remained  speechless 
and  stunned,  like  men  who  have  come  through  an  earth- 
quake. 


i35 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE  FOURTH  OF  SEPTEMBER 

IT  was  past  eight  o'clock  when  the  council  broke  up. 
The  Empress  did  not  appear  at  dinner,  and  I  saw 
her  only  for  an  instant.  She  seemed  weighed  down 
and  crusht  with  anxiety — in  fact,  in  a  stupor.  She 
hardly  spoke. 

All  I  knew  was  that  she  had  sent  for  General  Trochu, 
and  that  he,  on  the  pretext  of  great  fatigue  following  a 
long  inspection  of  the  forts,  had  refused  to  obey  her  order 
and  promised  to  come  the  next  morning. 

I  also  learnt  that  M.  Schneider,  president  of  the  Cham- 
ber, had  promised  the  Empress  with  tears  in  his  eyes 
(it  was  from  the  Empress  that  I  learnt  this  detail)  that 
he  would  not  have  an  all  night  sitting. 

At  nine  o'clock  the  Empress  retired  to  her  rooms.  The 
officers  and  ladies-in-waiting  also  retired.  I  worked  for 
some  time  in  the  study  where  M.  de  Lezay-Marnesia 
joined  me.  He  had  ordered  two  folding  beds  to  be  made 
up  in  the  First  Consul's  room  for  himself  and  for  me.  We 
threw  ourselves  on  them  fully  drest  towards  midnight. 
The  door  of  those  apartments  which  opened  at  the  top  of 
the  grand  staircase  and  which  gave  access  to  the  ushers' 
room  had  been  shut  and  locked  under  my  eyes.  The 
drawing-rooms  were  quite  empty,  and  after  eleven  o'clock 
no  one  came  in. 

I  have  heard  and  read  extraordinary  accounts  of  the 
things  that  were  said  and  done  in  the  Tuileries  that  night. 

To  my  own  knowledge  eight  persons  whom  I   could 

136 


Paris    Does   Not   Sleep 


name  asserted  that  they  had  come  there  and  had  been 
received  by  various  members  of  the  household.  Two  of 
these  people  had  had  a  long  conference  with  the  Empress 
at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  It  is,  of  course,  possible 
that  a  man  who  knew  the  Tuileries  by  heart  could  come 
to  the  door  of  the  Empress's  bedroom  by  the  little  back 
stairs,  send  a  message  by  the  lady's-maid  to  the  Regent 
and  thus  obtain  an  audience  from  the  Sovereign.  It  is 
equally  possible  and  even  probable  that  several  officers 
of  the  household  passed  the  night  in  the  rooms  on  the 
ground  floor  and  were  thus  able  to  receive  visitors. 

All  I  can  say  is  that  M.  de  Marnesia  and  I  heard  noth- 
ing and  saw  no  one,  and  nothing  disturbed  this  terrible 
night-watch  except  the  distant  tumult  outside — the  har- 
binger of  revolution. 

There  was  little  sleep  in  Paris  that  night.  All  the 
enemies  of  the  Empire  were  up  and  preparing  themselves 
for  the  final  assault. 

The  Governor  of  Paris  was  already  in  open  rebellion. 
He  had  refused  to  come  at  the  Empress's  request,  and  he 
had  likewise  disobeyed  the  order  of  his  chief,  the  Minister 
of  War,  who  had  ordered  him  to  come  at  once. 

He  had,  on  his  own  authority,  summoned  to  Paris 
General  Leflo,  one  of  the  men  of  '48,  who  constantly 
showed  his  ardent  republicanism  by  his  words,  and  who 
desired  nothing  better  than  to  confirm  it  by  his  actions. 

He  received  some  rioters  who  came  to  complain  of  the 
action  of  the  police,  and  he  sent  them  away  with  these 
words,  "Be  easy,  the  people  will  soon  be  their  own 
police!" 

He  entrusted  M.  Steenackers,  a  Deputy  of  the  Left, 
with  an  order  to  the  National  Guards  of  Ncuilly  to  as- 
semble the  next  morning  on  the  Place  de  la  Concorde, 

i37 


Recollections   of  the    Empress   Eugenie 

and  the  newspaper  Le  Steele  (his  mouthpiece)  elaborated 
this  into  an  order  for  all  the  Parisian  battalions  to  meet 
at  the  same  place. 

On  his  side,  M.  Schneider  returned  to  the  Presidential 
residence  and  hastened,  in  spite  of  his  tearful  promises,  to 
send  a  house  to  house  summons  to  all  the  Deputies  for  the 
night  sitting,  which  opened  at  midnight. 

The^  ministerial  bench  was  empty;  the  Ministers  by 
their  absence  protested  against  the  violation  of  the  under- 
taking given.  Jules  Favre  boldly  proposed  dethronement, 
and  M.  Pinard  opposed  him  with  much  courage  and  elo- 
quence. M.  Thiers,  who  was  still  flattering  himself  that 
he  could  dominate  the  situation,  took  away  Jules  Favre  in 
his  carriage,  explaining  to  him  that  the  majority  wanted 
the  substance  of  abdication  without  the  form.  These 
scruples  were  a  cowardly  sham,  which  did  not  deserve  to 
be  taken  seriously  and  which  sealed  the  fate  of  that 
Assembly!  The  rest  of  the  night  passed  in  preparing 
banners  on  which  were  inscribed  with  consummate  impu- 
dence the  numbers  of  the  vote  that  they  counted  on  ob- 
taining from  a  weak  and  discredited  Parliament — 185  out 
of  200!  M.  de  Keratry  organized  to  the  best  of  his  ability 
the  outbreak  for  the  next  day,  but  as  one  has  already  seen, 
General  Trochu  had  left  him  very  little  to  do. 

From  midnight  to  two  in  the  morning  huge  crowds 
moved  about  on  the  Place  de  la  Concorde  and  in  the  Rue 
de  Rivoli,  crying  aloud  for  "deposition!"  In  the  center 
of  this  Paris,  so  full  of  lights  and  movement  that  one  could 
hardly  tell  whether  it  was  the  scene  of  revolution  or  re- 
joicing, the  great  palace  between  the  closed  garden  and 
the  deserted  court  remained  black  and  mournful,  with  its 
windows  all  dark,  like  an  isle  of  shadow  and  silence  in 
the  midst  of  a  sea  of  fire. 

138 


The   Dawn   of  Revolution 


Several  times  I  opened  the  French  window  which  led 
from  the  ladies'  drawing-room  on  to  a  little  balcony,  and 
from  which  I  could  see  the  whole  garden  of  the  Tuileries; 
I  listened  to  the  mysterious  clamor  which  floated  through 
the  night,  a  clamor  so  menacing  that  at  times  one  could 
not  but  think  that  the  final  assault  was  near  at  hand. 

At  last  things  became  quieter,  and  when  dawn  began  to 
show  itself  above  the  innumerable  chimneys  rising  above 
the  roofs  of  the  Rue  de  Rivoli,  silence  had  settled  around 
us.  It  was  a  delightful  summer  morning,  fresh  and  pure. 
Instead  of  the  frantic  cries  of  "deposition!"  I  heard  the 
continual  twittering  of  birds  in  the  big  chestnuts  which 
began  dimly  to  show  themselves  bathed  in  a  bluish  mist. 

It  seemed  to  me  that  I  must  have  dreamt;  that  those 
cries,  that  tumult,  were  only  a  feverish  nightmare,  and 
that  the  dawn  of  a  new  day  would  find  us  all  reconciled  and 
working  in  common  for  the  salvation  of  our  country;  but 
man  pays  no  heed  to  the  lessons  taught  him  by  the  serene 
and  pacific  activities  of  nature;  a  soft  and  glorious  summer 
morning  is  as  suitable  for  a  revolution  as  a  tempestuous 
night,  and  the  dawn  which  rose  over  the  besieged  Tuileries 
on  August  10,  1792,  may  well  have  been  as  peaceful  and 
as  pure. 

This  comparison  passed  through  my  mind,  and  know- 
ing that  we  were  absolutely  without  means  of  defense,  I 
asked  myself  if  the  end  of  the  day  would  find  the  last 
Sovereign  of  France  still  living! 

At  seven  o'clock  the  Empress  was  up.  At  seven-thirty 
she  heard  Mass  in  her  oratory.  Five  or  six  persons  only 
were  present  at  this  Mass — Mme.  Aguado,  Mme.  Lebre- 
ton,  Admiral  Jurien,  Eugene  Conneau  and  the  ladies' 
maids.  We  knelt  on  the  floor  in  deep  and  earnest  medi- 
tation, the  women  weeping  silently. 

i39 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

After  Mass  I  approached  the  Regent  and  ventured  to 
say,  "Madame,  there  is  nothing  more  to  be  done  in  Paris. 
You  must  leave  this  hell,  transport  your  Government  to 
some  town  on  the  Loire  and  call  around  you  the  Corps 
legislatif.1  I  will  go  and  fetch  the  Prince  from  the  north 
and  bring  him  to  your  Majesty." 

"That  would  mean  civil  war,"  the  Empress  replied. 
"The  strength  of  our  resistance  against  the  Prussians 
would  be  broken  in  half — and  for  what  end?  he  who  has 
not  Paris  has  nothing.    No,  I  shall  not  move  from  here." 

"Your Majesty,  then,  will  defend  yourself?" 

"I  shall  not  move,  but  I  will  not  allow  a  shot  to  be 
fired." 

What  was  it  that  she  meant  to  do? 

Perhaps  her  idea  was  to  combat  the  insurrection  with 
the  strength  of  her  own  personal  courage — to  challenge,  as 
it  were,  the  Parisians  to  commit  on  her  a  cowardly  crime 
which  would  stain  their  annals  for  ever,  and  to  sway  them 
by  the  wonderful  magic  that  had  for  the  last  month  made 
all  her  followers  enthusiastic  and  almost  fanatical  in  her 
service. 

She  had  said  to  me  a  few  days  before:  "If  they  will 
not  have  me  any  longer  as  Empress,  I  shall  ask  them  to 
keep  me  as  a  hospital  nurse."2 

At  this  moment  a  message  was  brought  from  M.  de 

1  This  was  exactly  the  advice  brought  by  M.  Stephen  Liegeard  before  the  night 
sitting  in  his  own  name  and  that  of  a  certain  number  of  his  colleagues.  He  had  sug- 
gested Blois  and  the  castle  recently  presented  by  the  town  to  the  Prince  Imperial. 
I  did  not  know  of  this  step  of  M.  Liegeard's  which  coincided  so  well  with  my 
own  feelings. 

2  Later,  in  exile,  when  speaking  of  that  day,  the  Empress  said,  "I  had  no  fear  of 
death.  What  I  feared  was  falling  into  the  hands  of  ruffians  or  vixens  who  would 
add  some  shameful  or  ridiculous  episode,  who  would  have  tried  to  dishonor  as  well 
as  murder  me.  I  imagined  nameless  indignities  and  I  heard  ferocious  laughter — for, 
mind  you,  les  ' tricoteuses'  have  left  descendants." 

140 


300,000    Parisian    Bayonets 


Lesseps  to  the  Empress.  He  told  me  himself  that  day 
that  he  had  gone  at  six  o'clock  to  waken  his  friend  Gir- 
ardin  and  that  he  had  found  him  shaving.  "Emile," 
he  said,  "they  are  going  to  make  a  revolution."  Girardin 
replied  simply,  "You  see,  I  am  already  shaved";  upon 
which  they  had  tried  to  think  of  some  way  of  salvation 
and  they  had  come  to  submit  it  to  the  Empress. 

Their  advice  amounted  to  this:  "Resign  all  your  powers 
into  the  hands  of  the  Corps  legislatif."  A  Council  of 
Regency  would  then  be  formed  quite  independent  of 
the  Empress,  but  de  Lesseps  was  persuaded  that  if  she 
showed  an  inclination  to  retire  they  would  entreat  her  to 
stop.1  But  the  Empress  flatly  refused  to  discuss  this 
idea.  "One  can  only,"  she  said,  "give  up  that  which 
is  one's  own,  but  never  that  which  one  has  received  in 
trust — the  Sovereignty  is  not  mine  to  give — I  shall  never 
abdicate." 

The  Council  of  Ministers  met  again  at  eight  o'clock. 
One  of  its  members,  Clement  Duvernois,  proposed  that 
they  should  use  the  powers  of  martial  law,  arrest  the 
leaders  of  the  Left  and  terrorize  the  revolutionary  party 
by  severe  measures. 

He  forgot  that  to  employ  force  the  first  necessary  con- 
dition is  to  have  it  in  your  own  hands.  From  his  seat  he 
could  have  easily  counted  the  defenders  of  the  Tuileries, 
all  whom  we  would  count  on  to  oppose  the  300,000  Paris- 
ian bayonets— in  the  private  garden  were  three  compan- 
ies of  Light  Infantry,  in  the  courtyard  were  two  companies 
of  Grenadiers  and  a  squadron  of  Cuirassiers. 

1  He  has  since  assured  me  that  Barthelemy  St.  Hilaire  confirmed  him  in  this 
idea. 

"We  desired  nothing  more  than  to  keep  the  Empress  with  us,"  said  the  secretary 
of  M.  Thiers'  government. 

I  can  only  say  that  this  contradicts  all  that  we  know  of  the  feelings  of  Thiers  and  his 
evidence  before  the  Commission  of  Inquiry. 

141 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Moreover,  General  Mellinet  was  by  no  means  certain 
that  these  troops  would  obey  the  command  if  he  ordered 
them  to  fire. 

No  one  stopt  to  consider  the  proposition  of  Duver- 
nois,  and  it  was  decided  to  submit  to  the  Corps  legis- 
latif  the  idea  of  creating  a  Council  of  Regency  armed 
with  absolute  powers,  as  in  the  plan  of  Girardin  and 
Lesseps,  but  in  this  ministerial  project  it  was  necessary 
that  the  Empress  should  preside  over  this  council. 

There  was  no  possible  hope  that  such  a  project  would 
be  accepted  by  the  Assembly.  For  its  success  it  would 
have  been  essential  that  M.  Thiers  should  support  it,  and 
that  the  Corps  legislatif  should  be  sheltered  from  popular 
violence.  We  knew  that  neither  condition  could  be 
fulfilled. 

During  the  council  I  had  to  send  a  telegram  to  Charles 
Duperre  by  order  of  the  Empress.  The  Prince  was  now 
at  Maubeuge,  and  his  aides-de-camp  received  contradic- 
tory orders  from  Paris  and  from  Bouillon,  to  which  place 
the  Emperor  had  been  taken.  Here  is  the  text  of  the  tele- 
gram, in  which  only  a  few  of  the  words  were  in  cipher 
according  to  the  private  code  I  had  drawn  up  two  days 
previously. 

"Received  your  two  telegrams;  you  shall  have  verbal 
instructions  before  this  evening  and  a  letter  from  me  by 
the  man  you  have  sent.  The  Empress  wishes  you  to  take 
no  notice  of  the  communications  from  Bouillon.  The 
Emperor  cannot  appreciate  the  situation. — Filon." 

The  officers  and  ladies  of  the  household  who  were  in 
Paris  at  the  time  were  now  arriving.  They  did  not  come 
to  offer  advice,  but  to  show  their  devotion  by  their  pres- 
ence and  share  the  perils  of  their  Sovereign.  The  rooms 
on  the  ground  floor  and  those  on  the  first  floor  were 

142 


Loyalty    of  the    Household 


quickly  filled,  and  the  occupants  only  left  after  the  depar- 
ture of  the  Empress. 

I  wish  to  call  attention  to  this  fact  which  is  so  honor- 
able to  those  who  were  faithful  to  the  last  hour.  I  need 
not  defend  the  charges  of  foolishness  and  corruption  which 
have  been  so  lightly  cast  at  that  Court  where  one  met  men 
of  sterling  worth  and  women  of  exalted  virtue,  but  it  is  my 
duty  to  state  here  how  this  Court  behaved  in  the  day  of 
trouble. 

Lord  Rosebery  rightly  notices  the  appalling  manner 
in  which  Napoleon  I  and  his  family  were  deserted  when 
the  hour  of  final  disaster  came,  and  he  contrasts  this  isola- 
tion with  the  eagerness  of  the  French  nobility  to  honor 
the  fallen  Bourbons  and  offer  themselves  as  a  rampart  to 
their  Princes  against  danger  and  as  a  retinue  to  them  in 
their  exile. 

The  fall  of  the  second  Empire  does  not  justify  a  simi- 
lar parallel.  On  September  4  the  old  and  new  nobility 
whom  Napoleon  III  had  gathered  around  him  were  very 
largely  and  worthily  represented  at  the  Tuileries.  More 
than  forty  names  come  into  my  mind;  these  include  only 
those  whom  I  encountered  personally  in  my  goings  to  and 
fro,  and  even  of  those  there  must  be  many  names  I  have 
now  forgotten. 

In  the  early  hours  of  the  morning  the  Regent  had  sent 
Admiral  Jurien  to  the  Governor  of  Paris  to  ask  him  to 
come  to  her  as  he  had  promised  to  do  the  previous  evening. 

"Well,  how  about  General  Trochu?"  asked  the  Em- 
press when  the  admiral  returned.  But  the  admiral, 
overcome,  simply  dropt  his  arms  with  a  despairing  gest- 
ure. He  had  just  seen  shattered  the  illusions  to  which 
he  had  so  long  clung.  His  invincible  optimism  was  con- 
quered.    The  general,  instead  of  coming  in  person,  sent 

H3 


Recollections    of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

his  chief-of-stafT,  General  Schmitz,  who  never  got  further 
than  the  "guichet  de  l'Echelle."1 

Trochu,  who  wandered  about  all  day  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, has  given  as  an  explanation  that  he  was  unable  to 
get  to  the  Empress.  Now  up  to  a  quarter  past  three 
carriages  and  pedestrians  entered  and  left  without  any 
difficulty,  but  the  Governor  of  Paris,  accompanied  by  fifty 
mounted  officers,  General  Trochu,  the  idol  of  Paris,  before 
whom  crowds  respectfully  gave  way,  could  not  find  means 
to  enter  the  Tuileries! 

Why  could  he  not  enter  by  the  inner  passages  that  I 
used  when  I  went  out? 

But  the  climax  was  the  last  communication  from  the 
general  to  the  Regent,  when  the  Tuileries  were  threatened 
and  he  knew  her  to  be  in  real  danger. 

He  told  her  that  he  placed  at  her  disposal  an  officer 
of  the  Mobiles — "in  uniform."  This  "En  uniforme" 
seems  to  me  to  be  on  a  level  of  comical  cynicism  which 
has  rarely  been  attained  on  the  stage.  It  is  the  "  Tarte  a 
la  creme"  of  the  Fourth  of  September,  1870.  It  was  thus 
that  the  general  was  prepared  "to  lay  down  his  life  on  the 
steps  of  the  throne"  2  by  proxy! 

The  news  which  now  reached  us  was  terrible,  and  our 
situation  became  worse  at  every  hour. 

The  Place  de  la  Concorde  was  full  of  armed  men  whose 
intentions  were  by  no  means  doubtful — they  were  the 
National  Guards  called  up  by  General  Trochu.  They 
were  not  fully  equipped  but  all  had  rifles.  It  has  already 
been  pointed  out  what  feeble  forces  we  had  to  oppose  this 
Grand  Army  of  insurrection,   and  that  even  these  few 

1  The  "guichet  de  I'Echelle"  was  a  side  entrance  to  the  Tuileries,  towards  the 
Rue  de  Rivoli,  generally  used  by  private  visitors  (Translator's  Note). 

2  Cf.  page  124. 

144 


Deputation   from    Parliament 

troops  were  by  no  means  to  be  trusted.  Moreover,  we 
were  not  to  put  their  fidelity  to  the  test  as  the  Empress 
had  repeatedly  forbidden  General  Mellinet  to  fire  on  the 
people,  and  she  renewed  this  order  in  my  presence.  Be- 
sides, we  had  the  enemy  already  within  our  walls,  for  the 
National  Guards,  so  manifestly  hostile,  had  for  several 
days  shared  the  duties  of  guarding  the  Tuileries  with  the 
regulars,  and  they  looked  at  us  with  a  mocking  air,  as 
much  as  to  say,  "Your  minutes  are  numbered!" 

Towards  twelve  or  half-past  (I  am  not  quite  certain  of 
the  precise  time)  a  deputation  came  from  the  Corps  legis- 
latif  of  whom  the  principal  members  were  M.  Buffet  and 
Comte  Daru.  They  were  introduced  to  the  Empress  by 
their  colleagues  the  Comte  d'Ayguesvives  and  the  Baron 
de  Pierres,  who  had  both  been  attached  to  the  house- 
hold, one  as  chamberlain  to  the  Emperor,  the  other  as 
equerry  to  the  Empress.  The  Empress  had  with  her 
Admiral  Jurien  and  the  Comtesse  de  la  Poeze. 

We  others  were  going  backwards  and  forwards  engaged 
in  all  kinds  of  work.  That  is  perhaps  why  the  general 
effect  of  the  scene  remains  in  my  memory  whilst  some 
minor  details  have  escaped  me. 

It  will  be  better,  moreover,  to  let  MM.  Buffet  and 
Daru  speak,  for  they  are  two  witnesses  whose  word  is 
beyond  suspicion  and  whom  no  one  could  accuse  of 
partiality  towards  the  Imperial  Family.  M.  Buffet  has 
related  the  facts  before  the  Commission  of  Parliamentary 
Inquiry,  of  which  Comte  Daru  was  president,  and  the 
latter  has  confirmed  and  completed  several  times  the 
evidence  of  his  friend. 

M.  Buffet  spoke  first.  He  showed  the  Empress  the 
reasons  which  made  him  and  a  large  number  of  his  col- 
leagues feel  sure  that  the  scheme  adopted  that  morn- 

i45 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

ing  by  the  Council  of  Ministers  had  no  chance  of  being 
accepted — that  therefore  there  was  no  alternative  to 
oppose  to  the  motion  for  deposition,  unless  the  Empress, 
by  a  spontaneous  act,  consented  to  place  the  executive 
power  in  the  hands  of  the  Corps  legislatif.  The  Assembly 
would  then  nominate  a  provisional  Government,  around 
which  all  honest  men  could  rally  and  which  would  work 
solely  for  the  salvation  of  the  country,  without  prejudice 
to  the  dynastic  question,  which  would  remain  intact. 

It  was  a  disguised  abdication  which  they  asked  of  the 
Empress;  but  what  use  would  it  have  been?  The  scheme 
of  the  Deputies  was  as  illusory  as  that  of  the  Ministers, 
and  the  hour  for  such  compromises  and  half  measures  was 
past.  But  we  did  not  yet  know  how  powerless  the  Corps 
legislatif  was,  nor  had  that  assembly  itself  yet  realized  its 
own  weakness. 

The  Empress  replied  calmly  and  with  great  dignity.1 

"That  which  you  ask  me  to  do,  gentlemen,  safeguards 
the  future,  so  you  tell  me,  but  on  condition  that  I  quit  now 
in  the  hour  of  greatest  peril  the  post  with  which  I  have 
been  entrusted.  To  this  I  cannot  and  dare  not  consent. 
.  .  .  The  future  is  to-day  the  least  of  my  worries;  I  do 
not  mean  by  this  the  future  of  France  but  the  future  of 
our  Dynasty. 

"Believe  me,  gentlemen,  the  ordeals  to  which  I  have 
been  subjected  have  been  so  painful  and  so  horrible  that 
at  present  the  thought  of  preserving  the  Crown  for  the 
Emperor  weighs  very  little  with  me. 

"My  only  anxiety,  my  one  ambition  is  to  carry  out 
fully  the  duties  which  have  been  imposed  on  me.  If  you 
think — if  the   Corps  legislatif  thinks  that  I  may  be  an 

1  These  are  the  expressions  employed  by  M.  Buffet.     Later  on  he  referred  to  the 
"calm  energy"  of  the  Empress. 

I46 


Speech   by  the   Empress 


obstacle,  and  that  the  name  of  the  Emperor  may  be  an 
obstacle  rather  than  a  rallying-point  and  a  symbol  of  re- 
sistance, then  let  them  pronounce  our  deposition;  I  shall 
not  complain,  I  can  then  quit  my  post  with  honor,  I  shall 
not  have  deserted  it.  But  I  am  convinced  that  the  only 
judicious  and  patriotic  action  for  the  country's  represen- 
tatives is  to  rally  round  me  and  my  Government,  to  put  on 
one  side  for  the  present  all  internal  questions  and  to  unite 
our  efforts  firmly  to  repel  the  invader.  ...  As  for  myself, 
I  am  ready  to  face  all  dangers  and  to  follow  the  Corps 
legislatif  wherever  it  desires  to  form  a  nucleus  of  resist- 
ance. If  this  resistance  were  finally  acknowledged  to  be 
impossible,  I  believe  I  could  still  be  useful  to  obtain  less 
unfavorable  conditions  of  peace.  Yesterday  the  ambas- 
sador of  a  great  Power  made  me  an  offer  to  propose  to 
neutral  States  mediation  on  the  following  two  bases: 
First,  the  integrity  of  the  territory  of  France;  secondly, 
the  maintenance  of  the  Imperial  Dynasty.  I  have  replied 
that  I  was  disposed  to  accept  mediation  on  the  first  point, 
but  I  firmly  declined  to  consider  it  on  the  second. 

"The  maintenance  of  the  Dynasty  is  a  question  which 
matters  only  to  this  country,  and  I  will  never  permit 
foreign  Powers  to  intervene  in  our  internal  arrange- 
ments. .  .  ." 

Several  Deputies  then  spoke  one  after  the  other,  set- 
ting forth  new  arguments  or  repeating  under  a  different 
form  those  which  M.  Buffet  had  previously  brought  for- 
ward. 

A  sort  of  confused  conversation  then  followed,  in  which 
answers  did  not  always  correspond  to  questions.  It  was 
interrupted  by  frequent  messages  from  the  Prefect  of 
Police,  who  kept  the  Empress  informed  of  the  progress 
of  the  disorder. 

147 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

She  passed  these  on  to  M.  Daru,  who  read  them  out 
loud. 

These  gentlemen  were  greatly  moved  and  have  ac- 
knowledged it  before  the  Commission  of  Inquiry,  and 
the  tone  of  their  evidence  before  that  Commission  showed 
how  this  emotion  was  revived  by  the  recollection  of  that 
scene.  With  it  was  mingled  a  feeling  of  admiration  which 
they  were  at  no  pains  to  conceal. 

"Was  the  Empress  calm?"  asked  the  Comte  de  Dur- 
fort  de  Civrac,  and  M.  Buffet  replied,  "She  was  perfectly 
calm."  When  the  Empress  told  the  Deputies  that  in  her 
opinion  the  true  and  only  means  of  effectually  confronting 
the  danger  was  to  rally  round  her  and  her  Government, 
M.  Buffet  exclaimed  (and  I  am  certain  he  was  absolutely 
sincere)  that  for  himself  he  was  quite  ready  to  do  so  if  it 
had  still  been  possible. 

It  was  M.  Daru,  if  I  do  not  mistake,  who  understood 
best  how  to  appeal  to  the  Sovereign's  inner  feelings. 

"You  fear,  Madame,  that  you  may  be  accused  of  de- 
serting your  post,  but  you  will  have  given  a  very  great 
proof  of  courage  in  sacrificing  yourself  for  the  public  good 
and  in  sparing  France  the  horrors  of  a  revolution — and 
that  a  revolution  in  the  face  of  the  enemy." 

The  Empress  was  plainly  shaken.  She  had  remained 
inflexible  when  they  spoke  of  her  interest;  she  listened 
to  Daru  when  he  spoke  of  duty,  but  her  respect  for  legality 
— one  of  the  dominant  traits  of  her  political  character — 
now  made  her  hesitate.  "Well,"  she  said,  "if  my  Minis- 
ters range  themselves  on  your  side  I  will  agree;  I  ask  only 
one  thing — that  they  will  find  me  a  house  somewhere,  and 
that  I  may  be  permitted  to  share  to  the  very  end  the  suf- 
ferings of  the  besieged  capital." 

The  Deputies  retired  with  this  conditional  agreement. 

148 


The   Mob    Invades   the   Chamber 

I  saw  them  passing  slowly  out  with  bowed  heads  and 
solemn  mien,  like  mourners  who  have  just  thrown  the  last 
drops  of  holy  water  on  a  coffin. 

They  found  on  returning  to  the  Corps  legislatij  that 
their  enterprise  was  hopeless,  and  no  further  communica- 
tion came  to  us  from  that  quarter. 

The  sitting  had  opened  with  three  motions  before  the 
Assembly:  one  emanated  from  the  revolutionary  Left  and 
was  brought  forward  by  Jules  Favre;  the  second  was  pre- 
sented by  M.  Thiers  in  the  name  of  the  Center;  the  third 
was  the  scheme  of  the  Government.  The  first  proclaimed 
the  deposition  of  the  Sovereign,  the  second  made  it  in- 
formal; that  put  forward  by  the  Ministers  we  are  already 
acquainted  with.  The  Deputies  went  into  committee  to 
deliberate.  At  this  moment  M.  Jacob,  who  was  respon- 
sible for  the  policing  of  the  approaches  to  the  Chamber, 
received  an  order  from  General  Trochu  to  withdraw  his 
policemen  who  barred  the  way  along  the  embankment; 
this  was  the  sole  instance  in  which  the  Governor  of  Paris 
made  use  of  the  powers  which  had  been  conferred  on  him 
by  the  state  of  martial  law,  and  which  placed  the  civil 
powers  under  the  military  authority. 

The  gates  were  opened  to  the  people  by  the  National 
Guards  of  the  picquet  which  was  commanded  that  day 
by  Clement  Laurier  and  Gabriel  Ferry;  the  Chamber  was 
invaded  by  the  mob.  The  deposition  of  the  Emperor  and 
Empress  was  then  "pronounced,"  as  France  learnt  by  a 
telegram  of  Gambetta's.  His  statement  would  have 
gained  in  accuracy  if  he  had  only  added  that  the  deposi- 
tion had  been  pronounced  by  himself  in  the  rostrum  to  the 
applause  of  some  500  insurgents  who  occupied  the  benches. 

Jules  Favre  then  started  immediately  for  the  Hotel  de 
Ville,    accompanied    by    a    considerable    crowd;    on    the 

149 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Tuileries  Quay  he  met  the  Governor  of  Paris,  on  horseback 
at  the  head  of  a  numerous  staff,  who  was  apparently,  in 
the  words  of  Jules  Favre,  "awaiting  events." 

"We  are  going  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville,"  said  Jules  Favre, 
"come  with  us,  General,"  and  Trochu  replied,1  "Very 
well,  I  will  come,"  and  he  went.  The  rest  is  well  known. 
The  conscience  of  General  Trochu  was  at  rest,  had 
he  not  put  at  the  disposition  of  the  Empress  a  captain 
of  Mobiles  "in  uniform"? 2 

All  this  was  happening  close  to  us,  almost  in  sight  of 
the  Tuileries,  but  we  knew  nothing  of  it.  No  further  news 
was  reaching  us. 

Those  who  had  left  the  palace  to  find  out  what  had 
happened  at  the  Corps  legislatif — Lesseps  was  one  of  them 
— had  not  yet  returned. 

At  last  we  saw  Henri  Chevreau,  Jerome  David  and 
Busson-Billault  coming  from  the  Palais  Bourbon,  which 
was  already  in  the  hands  of  the  mob. 

They  announced  the  invasion  of  the  precincts  of  Par- 
liament as  an  accomplished  fact;  the  invasion  of  the 
Tuileries,  they  declared,  would  follow  almost  immediately; 
nothing  was  to  be  expected  from  the  soldiers;  a  whole 
battalion  had  just  thrown  down  its  rifles  in  the  Court  of 
the  Corps  legislatif. 

Even  if,  per  impossibile,  we  had  succeeded  in  clearing 

1  The  fact  is  attested  by  one  of  those  who  accompanied  Jules  Favre,  a  staunch 
Republican  and  an  honorable  man,  whose  evidence  no  one  would  challenge:  M.  Rob- 
inet,  assistant  to  the  mayor  of  one  of  the  arrondissements  of  Paris  during  the 
first  siege. 

2  The  conscience  of  General  Trochu  also  suggested  something  else.  His  first  decree 
was  thus  conceived. 

Art.  I.  Public  servants  of  all  classes  are  hereby  released  from  their  oaths  to  the 
Imperial  Government. 

Art.  2.    The  oath  of  allegiance  is  finally  abolished. 

This  was  doubtless  in  his  mind,  a  retrospective  legalization  of  his  own  conduct,  an 
absolution  which  he  administered  to  himself. 

I50 


The    Empress   is    Urged   to    Leave 

the  insurgents  out  of  the  Assembly  and  in  giving  the  latter 
the  possibility  of  deliberating  in  freedom,  it  was  clear,  from 
the  step  taken  an  hour  before  by  M.  Buffet  and  his  col- 
leagues, that  the  Empress  could  no  longer  count  on  the 
support  of  the  Majority. 

The  Governor  of  Paris,  who  had  three  times  refused  to 
obey  her  summons,  was  manifestly  on  the  side  of  the 
insurgents. 

Paris  was  in  the  power  of  the  National  Guard,  and  the 
National  Guard  appeared  solid  in  favor  of  the  Revolution. 

The  Ministers,  now  persuaded  that  all  resistance  was 
useless,  advised  the  Sovereign  to  leave  the  Palace.  Prince 
Metternich  and  the  Chevalier  Nigra  united  in  giving  the 
same  advice,  which  was  also  supported  by  Admiral  Jurien 
and  by  Conti. 

The  Empress  was  shaken,  but  as  yet  refused  to  yield. 
Her  first  thought  was  for  the  safety  of  her  son,  and  she 
wished  to  telegraph  to  Charles  Duperre  that  he  should 
take  the  Prince  across  the  frontier  without  delay.  I  there- 
fore sent  the  following  telegram: 

"Leave  immediately  for  Belgium. — Filon." 

Only  the  last  two  words,  Belgium  and  my  own  name, 
were  in  clear,  the  rest  was  in  our  own  cipher. 

It  is  this  telegram  which  was  travestied  in  the  "papers 
found  at  the  Tuileries"  under  the  form  of  a  stupid  pun. 
They  presented  it  as  "the  last  buffoonery  of  the  Empire"; 
it  was  merely  the  first  one  of  the  Republic.1 

1  I  think  it  unnecessary  to  discuss  at  length  this  imposture  which  has  been  ex- 
plained many  times  over.  I  suppose  that  the  telegraphists  gave  the  Commissioners 
charged  with  the  examination  of  the  papers  not  the  cipher  text,  but  a  translation 
of  which  they  were  the  authors  and  which  the  Commission  was  foolish  enough  to 
accept. 

One  would  have  thought  that  any  man  of  average  intelligence  would  have  seen 
through  such  an  absurd  concoction. 

The  telegram  with   the   pun  which  they  introduced   ["Filons  sur   Belgique. — Fi- 

151 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

After  having  sent  off  the  telegram,  I  said  to  myself  that 
the  end  of  the  drama  was  not  far  off,  and  I  ran  to  my  room 
to  get  my  revolver. 

Always  hastening,  I  went  through  the  Prince's  study 
to  assure  myself  that  the  precious  objects  it  contained  (the 
souvenirs  of  St.  Helena;  the  hat,  the  gray  overcoat,  and 
the  traveling  library  of  Napoleon  I)  had  been  taken  away. 
I  came  back  in  all  haste  to  the  Empress's  room,  which  I 
found  empty.  I  had  been  absent  a  quarter  of  an  hour. 
What  had  happened  during  that  quarter  of  an  hour? 

Everyone  around  the  Empress  had  insisted  that  she 
ought  to  leave.  One  of  them  had  said:  "You  will  not 
abdicate?  .  .  .  Well,  in  an  hour  you  will  be  in  the  hands 
of  those  who  will  make  you  abdicate  by  force,  and  you  will 
have  thus  sacrificed  the  rights  which  you  hold  in  trust.  If 
you  get  away,  no  matter  where  you  go,  you  carry  these 
rights  with  you." 

I  am  sure  that  this  was  the  argument  which  convinced 
the  Empress.  All  at  once  she  made  up  her  mind.  Noth- 
ing had  been  arranged  in  view  of  this  flight.  Mme. 
Lebreton  had  in  her  pocket  change  for  a  500-franc  note, 
which  de  Lesseps  had  been  to  fetch  in  the  morning.  There 
was  no  other  preparation.  The  Empress  put  on  her  hat, 
said  good-by  to  the  three  Ministers,  embraced  a  few 
ladies,  and  gave  General  Mellinet  orders  to  withdraw  the 
troops  as  soon  as  her  retainers  had  left  the  Palace. 

The  old  soldier  kissed  her  hand  with  tears  in  his  eyes. 
Then  she  left  her  home  by  a  small  dark  passage,  lighted 

Ion."]  became  sheer  nonsense.  It  could  only  have  meant  that  we  (that  is  to  say, 
the  Empress  and  her  household)  were  about  to  pass  into  Belgium,  which  was  clearly 
false.  If  it  was  meant  to  imply  that  Duperre  and  the  Prince  were  to  cross  the  fron- 
tier, the  wording  was  absolutely  misleading  and  would  have  left  the  officer  for  whom 
it  was  intended  very  perplexed  and  troubled.  The  Commandant  Duperre  awaited 
a  clear  and  precise  order,  this  he  received  and  carried  out  without  losing  a 
moment. 

152 


The   Armed    Crowd    Before    the    Tuileries 

day  and  night  by  lamps,  which  ran  behind  her  bedroom 
and  dressing-room.    All  this  was  done  in  a  few  minutes. 

I  was  dumbfounded  to  find  the  apartment  empty  after 
such  a  short  absence.  But  I  was  not  left  much  time  for 
wondering. 

A  telegram  was  brought  me  from  the  Emperor  to  the 
Empress,  the  first  we  had  received  since  the  morning  of 
August  31.  It  was  dated  from  Brussels,  September  4,  at 
6  a.  m.  Evidently  it  had  been  in  the  hands  of  the  operators 
of  the  Imperial  telegraph  office  for  some  hours.  They  had 
delayed  sending  it  on  until  they  had  seen  the  standard 
taken  down,  and  they  hoped  the  message  would  never 
arrive  at  its  destination. 

It  can  be  imagined  with  what  eagerness  I  set  myself  to 
decipher  it.  I  had  been  entirely  absorbed  in  this  task  for 
some  moments  when  the  chief  of  the  Empress's  ushers 
rushed  in  in  a  very  excited  state.  "But,  Monsieur,  you  do 
not  know,  then,  what  has  happened?"  he  said.  "The 
Empress  has  gone,  everyone  has  gone,  and  the  people  are 
now  swarming  into  the  Tuileries." 

I  hastily  replaced  the  cipher  in  its  box,  which  I  put  into 
the  drawer  of  a  little  table.  After  locking  the  drawer  with 
the  key,  which  never  left  my  possession,  I  put  the  half- 
deciphered  telegram  in  my  pocket,  and  ran  to  the  Salle  des 
Marechaux.  There  from  the  central  window  I  could  judge 
of  the  situation. 

An  immense  armed  crowd  surged  heavily  against  the 
railings  on  the  side  which  separated  the  public  from  the 
private  gardens;  it  filled  the  principal  avenue,  overflowing 
into  the  flower  beds,  its  tail  stretching  right  away  to  the 
ornamental  water  on  the  Place  de  la  Concorde,  and  thence 
into  the  Champs  Elysees. 

From  my  position  nothing  could  be  seen  but  heads  and 

i53 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

bayonets.  All  those  heads  were  turned  towards  the  Palace. 
Mellinet's  Light  Infantry,  lined  up  since  the  morning  on 
the  asphalt  avenue  which  runs  from  the  Pont  Royal  to  the 
Rue  des  Pyramides,  had  already  begun  their  retreat. 

I  went  down  to  the  archway,  where  there  were  still 
several  members  of  the  household.  Having  nothing  fur- 
ther to  do  in  the  Tuileries,  I  left  the  Palace  with  the  Comte 
de  Suarez  d'Aulan  and  Louis  Conneau,  by  a  secret  passage 
which  opened  in  the  guard  house  of  the  Light  Infantry. 

I  did  not  witness  the  final  invasion  of  the  Tuileries. 
This  scene  was  described  to  me  a  little  later  by  de  Lesseps, 
when  he  came  to  England  to  receive  the  Order  of  the  Star 
of  India  from  the  hand  of  Queen  Victoria. 

I  give  his  characteristic  account  just  as  I  wrote  it  down 
almost  immediately  after  I  had  heard  it  from  his  lips. 
Those  who  knew  the  man  will  find  it  typical  of  him.  I 
believe  it  to  be  quite  true  in  the  main,  though  he  ex- 
aggerates a  little  the  importance  of  his  own  part. 

"I  had  gone,"  said  Lesseps,  "to  the  Corps  legislatif 
with  a  note  from  the  Household  and  to  bring  back  news. 
I  found  the  Chamber  invaded  and  the  Deputies  gathered 
in  the  committee  rooms.  I  came  back  by  the  Quai  d'Orsay 
A  huge  crowd  had  gathered  in  front  of  the  offices  of  the 
Journal  Officiel.  They  were  destroying  the  Imperial  arms 
on  the  building.  I  crossed  the  bridge.  An  immense  mob 
barred  my  way  through  the  gate.  I  said  to  them, 
'Haven't  you  heard?  They  are  having  a  jolly  good 
time  over  there,  smashing  the  Imperial  arms  in  front  of 
the  offices  of  the  Journal  Officiel.''  The  whole  lot  ran  off 
to  the  other  side  of  the  Seine,  and  I  got  through  the  gate. 

"On  entering  the  Tuileries  I  met  Jurien,  who  had  left 
the  Empress  to  harangue  the  mob;  he  could  not  find  either 
the  Empress  or  the  mob,  and  had  quite  lost  his  head. 

154 


De   Lesseps'    Story 

"I  went  on  towards  the  big  clock;  there  was  no  one 
there.  I  met  General  de  Montebello,  who  was  in  mufti, 
and  I  said  to  him,  'I  am  going  to  speak  to  these  gentry.' 
I  jumped  the  railings  and  crossed  over  to  the  insurgents 
gathered  on  the  other  side  of  the  ornamental  water.  A 
mobile  of  my  son's  battalion  cried,  'Hallo!  that  is  de 
Lesseps.'  I  said,  'Mobiles,  to  the  front,'  and  they  allowed 
the  Mobiles  to  come  forward.  You  know  these  young  men 
were  very  popular.  I  said  to  them,  'Yes,  truly  I  am  M.  de 
Lesseps,  the  cousin  of  the  Empress.  She  has  gone.  What 
do  you  want  at  the  Tuileries  ?'  A  big,  strong  fellow  came 
up  to  me  and  said,  '  M.  de  Lesseps,  I  have  come  here  to 
prevent  disorder.'  'And  your  name?'  I  asked.  'Vic- 
torien  Sardou,'  he  replied.  'Ah!  very  good.'  And  I  held 
out  my  hand.    'Help  me  to  hold  them  for  a  bit.' 

"I  thus  gained  a  little  time.  I  again  jumped  the  rail- 
ings. I  went  to  find  Mellinet,  and  made  him  get  up  on  a 
chair.  In  the  meantime  I  sent  Gardonne  to  make  sure 
that  the  Empress  had  gone.  He  returned  and  told  me  that 
she  had. 

"Then  I  said  to  the  crowd,  'You  want  to  pass  through 
the  Tuileries  to  go  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  Why  not  go  by 
the  side  gates  instead  of  passing  by  the  clock  archway?' 

"They  stuck  to  their  idea,  however.  I  sent  back  the 
Imperial  Guard,  and  put  the  National  Guards  in  charge; 
then  seeing  no  way  to  convince  the  mob,  I  said  to  the 
National  Guards,  'Gentlemen,  we  must  let  the  stream  flow 
but  we  will  make  a  steep  bank  for  it.  It  is  my  job,  you 
know,  making  banks.'  And  so  we  made  a  bank.  I  stayed 
there  for  an  hour  and  a  half. 

"A  big,  red-faced  fellow  put  his  fist  under  my  nose 
and  said,  '  Til  You  don't  look  pleased,  Citizen.'  I  re- 
plied, '  Til    Go  to  h— ,  Citizen!'" 

155 


Recollections   of  the    Empress   Eugenie 

Let  me  now  resume.  Whilst  the  people  were  passing 
through  the  archway  of  the  great  clock,  between  the 
"banks"  provided  by  de  Lesseps,  I  had  taken  young 
Conneau  to  his  home.  I  then  put  all  my  papers  in  safety, 
and  was  free  to  go  and  reassure  my  own  people,  who  were 
in  the  greatest  anxiety  concerning  me. 

I  had  now  only  two  thoughts — to  find  the  Empress  and 
to  regain  possession  of  the  cipher,  which  I  had  forgotten  at 
the  moment  of  my  departure. 

The  Regent  had  left,  I  had  been  told,  with  Prince 
Metternich  and  the  Chevalier  Nigra.  At  half-past  seven 
I  was  at  the  Austrian  Embassy. 

There  they  told  me  that  Prince  Metternich  had  dined 
with  the  Chevalier  Nigra,  and  I  immediately  went  round 
to  the  Italian  Embassy,  which  was  situated  at  the  Rond 
Point  of  the  Champs  Elysees,  and  I  sent  up  my  card. 
These  gentlemen  at  once  left  the  table  and  came  to  meet 
me.  As  I  went  up  the  staircase  I  saw  them  on  the  first- 
floor  landing,  watching  my  approach  anxiously. 

"Well,"  they  said  to  me,  "where  is  she?" 

"But  that  is  what  I  came  to  ask  you." 

They  then  told  me  the  circumstances  of  the  Empress's 
departure,  and  explained  to  me  how  they  had  lost  sight 
of  her. 

Heartbroken  at  not  being  able  to  rejoin  the  Empress,  I 
told  them  of  my  second  cause  of  terrible  anxiety,  the  for- 
gotten cipher.  I  confided  to  them  that  I  was  determined 
at  all  hazards  to  recover  it,  in  which  decision  they  both 
encouraged  me.    I  then  returned  to  the  Tuileries. 

After  trying  for  several  hours  I  succeeded  at  last,  after 
two  unsuccessful  attempts,  in  getting  into  the  Empress's 
rooms. 

Instead  of  the  brave  and  noble  women  that  I  had  seen 

156 


Gambetta's    Lying   Telegram 

there  that  same  afternoon  I  found  some  National  Guards, 
who  had  billeted  themselves  in  the  apartments. 

A  jug  of  large  dimensions  on  the  table  in  the  drawing- 
room  sacred  to  the  ladies-in-waiting,  and  a  quantity  of 
coarse  broken  glasses,  overturned  chairs,  and  marks  of 
dirty  boots  on  the  polished  parquet  were  the  only  signs 
which  marked  the  passage  of  a  Revolution. 

In  spite  of  the  presence  of  a  large  number  of  witnesses, 
I  was  able  to  take  away  the  cipher  for  the  Imperial  corre- 
spondence, without  anyone  guessing  who  I  was  or  what  I 
had  come  for. 

It  was  past  midnight  when,  in  my  own  home  in  the  Rue 
St.  Placide,  I  at  last  deciphered  the  telegram  from  Na- 
poleon III.  At  that  time  the  Revolution  was  an  accom- 
plished fact.  The  Government  born  of  the  insurrection, 
and  now  four  or  five  hours  old,  had  turned  out  of  the 
Parliament  building,  with  an  air  of  injured  legality,  the 
legitimate  representatives  of  universal  suffrage,  who  had 
attempted  to  reassemble.  France,  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other,  had  swallowed  and  digested  the  lying 
telegram  of  Gambetta. 

Trochu,  who  had  risen  in  the  morning  as  the  Emperor's 
Governor  of  Paris,  went  to  bed  that  night  as  President  of 
the  Republic,  or  something  near  it,  after  having  destroyed 
the  Government  of  which  he  had  formed  part  and  acted  as 
leader  to  the  rebellion  which  it  was  his  duty  to  have  put 
down.  The  Empress,  whom  he  had  sworn  to  defend  to  his 
last  breath,  had  been  hunted  from  her  Palace  and  sepa- 
rated from  her  servants,  and  was  vainly  trying  to  get  a  few 
hours  of  repose,  which  overpowering  fatigue  disputed  with 
mental  anguish,  knowing  that  at  break  of  day  she  would 
begin  the  first  stage  of  her  exile.  We  shall  now  follow  the 
fortunes  of  her  journey. 

157 


CHAPTER  VIII 

FROM  THE  TUILERIES  TO  HASTINGS  * 

WHEN  the  Empress  was  at  last  persuaded  to  leave 
theTuileries  Her  Majesty  quitted  her  apartments 
and  crossed  the  Galerie  de  Diane.  She  was  ac- 
companied by  Mme.  Lebreton-Bourbaki,  Prince  Metter- 
nich,  the  Chevalier  Nigra,  Admiral  Jurien  de  la  Graviere, 
M.  Conti,  and  M.  Eugene  Conneau.  It  was  then  half- 
past  three. 

When  Her  Majesty  reached  that  end  of  the  Galerie  de 
Diane  which  is  next  to  the  Pavilion  de  Flore,  she  turned 
to  the  left  and  followed  the  gallery  which  extended  along 
the  modern  part  of  the  Palace.  She  then  crossed  the  new 
Salle  des  Etats,  and  found  herself  in  front  of  the  little 
door  which  opens  into  the  great  Galerie  of  the  Louvre. 
This  door  was  locked.  The  Empress  and  those  with  her 
had  to  retrace  their  steps,  and  they  returned  to  the  Pavil- 
ion de  Flore,  whence  it  was  possible  to  reach  the  under- 
ground kitchens  communicating  with  the  bank  of  the 
Seine.  But  just  when  the  Empress  and  those  who  accom- 
panied her  were  about  to  descend  the  stairs,  their  attention 
was  attracted  by  a  sudden  commotion  in  the  Courtyard  of 
the  Tuileries,  where  a  number  of  persons  came  rushing  in 
confusion.  The  natural  inference  was  that  the  mob  had 
broken  into  the  Tuileries,  and  the  little  party  of  fugitives 

1  A  few  days  after  we  had  settled  at  Chislehurst,  Mme.  Lebreton,  at  the  request 
of  the  Empress,  told  me  all  that  had  transpired  from  the  moment  that  the  Empress 
left  her  apartments  to  the  hour  when  she  set  her  foot  on  English  soil.  I  wrote  down 
her  narrative  as  nearly  as  possible  in  her  own  words,  and  then  I  read  it 
over  to  her  in  order  to  make  sure  that  I  had  not  omitted  or  altered  any- 
thing.    It  is  this   narrative   which   I   reproduce   in   this   chapter,   word   for  word. 

158 


Leaving  the   Tuileries 


went  back  to  the  first  floor  of  the  Palace,  whilst  Admiral 
Jurien  de  la  Graviere,  separating  himself  from  the  anxious 
group  which  surrounded  the  Empress,  went  to  reconnoiter, 
and  ascertain  whether  it  was  possible  for  him  to  parley 
with  the  crowd.  As  if  by  instinct  the  fugitives  went  back 
by  the  way  they  had  come,  and  from  time  to  time  they 
stopt  to  see  how  affairs  were  progressing  outside  the 
Palace.  On  the  quay  the  tumult  increased  minute  by 
minute,  and  the  angry  yells  of  the  crowd  were  distinctly 
audible  to  the  Empress. 

In  the  Courtyard  of  the  Tuileries  troops  were  moving. 
The  cavalry  fell  back  behind  the  infantry,  a  movement 
which  caused  the  crowd  on  the  Carrousel  to  think  that  the 
infantry  were  about  to  use  their  rifles;  but  in  reality  the 
Tuileries  were  on  the  point  of  being  abandoned.  General 
Mellinet  was  parleying  with  the  main  body  of  the  in- 
surgents, which  was  trying  to  invade  the  Palace  from  the 
side  of  the  gardens.  Already  the  Standard  was  lowered, 
and  the  rumor  had  spread  everywhere  that  the  Empress 
had  left  the  Palace;  so  those  of  her  servants  who  had 
remained  behind,  reassured  as  to  the  safety  of  their  mis- 
tress, now  hastened  their  own  departure. 

The  little  group  at  last  found  itself  again  in  front  of 
the  door  opening  into  the  Louvre,  and  this  door  was  now 
open.  The  Empress  went  into  the  Museum,  now  denuded 
of  nearly  all  the  best  pictures,  which  were  about  to  be  sent 
to  Brest  by  her  orders,  there  to  remain  in  comparative 
safety.  The  party  successively  crossed  the  great  Galerie, 
the  great  square  Salon  and  the  Galerie  d'Apollon,  one  of 
the  Museum  attendants  walking  in  front  of  the  Empress 
to  show  her  the  way. 

When  the  Empress  reached  the  Salon,  known  as  the 
Room  of  the  Seven  Chimneys,  she  suddenly  paused  in 

iS9 


Recollections   of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

front  of  Gericault's  painting  of  the  wreck  of  the  Medusa. 
She  had  remembered  those  persons  who  had  remained  at 
the  Tuileries,  and  who  were,  she  thought,  as  yet  unaware 
of  her  departure.  She  gave  instructions  to  M.  Conneau 
to  return  and  inform  them  of  what  had  happened,  and  also 
to  see  that  they  left  the  Palace  in  safety.  M.  Conneau  at 
once  obeyed,  and  took  leave  of  Her  Majesty,  kissing  her 
hand.  The  attendant,  who  witnessed  this  incident,  sa- 
luted, as  if  realizing  for  the  first  time  the  identity  of  the 
lady  to  whom  he  was  acting  as  guide.  He  then  resumed 
his  duty,  and  once  again  walked  ahead  of  the  Empress. 

At  the  end  of  this  succession  of  galleries,  which  were 
formerly  hung  with  paintings  of  the  French  School,  a  land- 
ing opens  out,  which  communicates  with  the  Colonnade. 
From  there  a  wide,  straight  staircase  descends  to  the 
gallery  containing  the  Egyptian  antiquities.  At  the  top 
of  the  staircase  the  little  group  again  lost  one  of  its  mem- 
bers, as  M.  Conti  left  it  by  the  express  wish  of  the  Empress. 
Her  Majesty  embraced  M.  Conti,  and  bade  him  au  revoir, 
but  she  could  give  him  no  idea  as  to  where  they  might  next 
meet,  as  she  felt  that  chance  alone  would  direct  her  steps 
when  she  left  the  Tuileries. 

The  fugitives  now  found  themselves  beneath  the  arch- 
way which  connects  the  Courtyard  of  the  Louvre  with  the 
Place  Saint  Germain  l'Auxerrois.  The  iron-barred  gates 
were  closed,  and  they  tried  in  vain  to  open  one  of  the  side 
entrances.  There  was  no  alternative  except  to  go  out  by 
the  middle  door.  This  was  flung  open  by  the  porter. 
The  Empress  took  the  arm  of  Chevalier  Nigra,  and  Mme. 
Lebreton  that  of  Prince  Metternich,  and  they  crossed  the 
wide  space  which  separates  the  two  flower  gardens,  known 
as  "Les  Jardins  de  l'Infante."     Two  streams  of  people, 

one  coming  from  the  Quay,  and  the  other  from  the  Rue  de 

160 


A    Tense   Moment 


Rivoli,  met  and  mingled  on  the  little  tree-planted  square 
in  front  of  Saint  Germain  l'Auxerrois,  and  the  narrow 
streets  opening  off  the  square  added  ever-increasing  con- 
tingents to  the  crowd. 

At  this  moment  a  lad  of  about  eighteen  to  twenty  years 
of  age  noticed  the  two  woman  and  ran  towards  them.  He 
apparently  recognized  the  Empress,  threatened  her  for  an 
instant  with  his  fist,  and  then  rushed  back  to  the  crowd, 
shouting  as  if  to  announce  his  discovery.  But  his  voice 
was  lost  in  the  deafening  noise,  and  the  Empress  was  able 
to  save  herself  by  jumping  into  one  of  the  hackney  car- 
riages which  were  standing  on  the  rank.  The  carriage  was, 
most  fortunately,  closed.  Mme.  Lebreton  seated  herself 
beside  the  Empress,  and  gave  the  driver  the  address  of  a 
friend,  whose  nationality  she  thought  would  prove  an 
effective  protection  against  suspicions  and  dangers,  and 
who  only  that  morning  had  come  to  offer  the  Empress 
every  assurance  of  fidelity  and  devotion. 

Just  as  the  carriage  was  driving  off,  the  lad  reappeared 
and  thrust  his  fist  in  the  face  of  the  Empress,  muttering 
unintelligible  threats;  but  as  he  did  so  the  Chevalier  Nigra 
seized  him  and  held  him  back  until  the  carriage  was  lost 
to  sight  in  the  crowd. 

As  to  Prince  Metternich,  he  had  moved  away  a  moment 
before  in  the  direction  of  the  Quay,  doubtless  with  the 
intention  of  placing  a  carriage  which  was  stationed  a  little 
distance  off  at  the  Empress's  disposal. 

The  hackney  carriage  proceeded  at  a  walking  pace 
through  the  crowded  Rue  de  Rivoli.  Part  of  the  mob  was 
going  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville  to  cheer  the  new  Government, 
and  part  of  it  was  going  to  assist  at  the  downfall  of  the 
Tuileries,  and  to  see  the  home  of  the  Kings  of  France  once 
more  delivered  into  the  hands  of  the  people.     Cries  of 

161 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"Long  live  the  Republic!"  "Long  live  the  Nation!"  and 
"Down  with  the  Empire!"  were  heard  on  all  sides.  At 
the  windows  of  the  Louvre  Barracks,  soldiers  wearing  the 
uniform  of  the  Imperial  Guard  watched  the  riot,  and  some 
of  the  young  ones  voiced  the  popular  cries ;  the  older  men 
were  silent. 

The  Empress,  who  had  lowered  her  veil  and  covered 
her  mouth  with  her  hand,  took  in  every  detail  of  the  scene. 
Some  of  the  passers-by  glanced  inside  the  carriage,  and 
one  common  fellow  thrust  his  head  through  the  door  oppo- 
site the  Empress  and  shouted  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
"Long  live  the  Nation!" 

When  opposite  the  Rue  du  29  Juillet,  Mme.  Lebreton 
asked  the  driver  to  try  and  get  out  of  the  Rue  de  Rivoli. 
"We  are  rather  in  a  hurry,"  she  told  him,  "and  we  should 
be  much  obliged  if  you  could  possibly  avoid  the  crowded 
streets."  The  driver  obeyed,  and  whipt  up  his  horses. 
At  the  corner  of  the  Rue  Caumartin  and  the  Boulevard  des 
Capucines  the  Empress  noticed  a  number  of  people  who 
had  torn  down  and  smashed  the  Imperial  escutcheon 
which  had  been  displayed  outside  a  shop.  This  caused  the 
Empress  to  turn  to  Mme.  Lebreton  with  the  remark, 
"They  have  lost  no  time!" 

The  carriage  stopped  at  No.  —  Boulevard  Males- 
herbes,  but  the  concierge  told  them  that  the  person  for 
whom  they  were  looking  was  away,  and  that  the  flat  was 
shut  up.  As  the  driver  had  been  paid  and  dismissed  it 
was  necessary  to  get  another  carriage.  This  was  quickly 
fetched,  and  the  Empress  drove  off  in  it  to  the  residence 
of  M.  de  Piennes,  in  the  Avenue  de  Wagram.  But  M.  de 
Piennes  was  away  from  home,  and  the  servant  in  charge 
could  only  answer  questions  from  the  other  side  of  the 
door,  as  by  some  misadventure  he  had  been  locked  in  and 

162 


Dr.   Evans 

could  not  open  the  door  to  the  strangers  who  were  standing 
outside. 

As  a  last  resort  the  Empress  bethought  her  of  the 
American  Legation,  but  neither  she  nor  Mme.  Lebreton 
knew  the  address  of  Mr.  Washburne,  the  United  States 
Minister.  However,  this  idea  suggested  another.  The 
Empress  remembered  one  devoted  gentleman  who  was,  in 
a  sense,  associated  with  her  life.  This  gentleman  was 
none  other  than  her  dentist,  Dr.  Evans,  who  then  lived  in 
the  Avenue  de  l'lmperatrice,  and  whose  nationality  and 
independent  position  would  permit  him  to  shelter  her 
without  any  fear  of  getting  himself  into  trouble. 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  two  ladies  at  Dr.  Evans'  house 
they  were  shown  into  his  study,  and  the  Empress  sat  down 
with  her  back  to  the  door,  lest  the  unexpected  sight  of  her 
might  elicit  some  exclamation  from  the  doctor,  and  thus 
betray  her  identity  to  the  servants. 

The  Empress  was  not  disappointed  in  her  belief  in  the 
doctor's  loyalty.  No  sooner  had  Dr.  Evans  recognized 
and  greeted  Her  Majesty  than  he  at  once  set  about  devis- 
ing the  best  means  for  her  escape.  He  had  invited  to 
dinner  that  evening  an  intimate  friend,  Mr.  C,  an  Amer- 
ican like  himself,  and  he  asked  Her  Majesty  to  allow 
him  to  take  this  friend  into  his  confidence,  as  he  felt  sure 
that  his  courage,  his  ability,  and  his  energy  would  be  in- 
valuable in  the  hazardous  enterprise  on  which  he  proposed 
to  embark.  The  Empress  readily  gave  the  required  per- 
mission, and  Dr.  Evans  went  at  once  into  the  heart  of  the 
city,  to  report  the  progress  of  the  Revolution.  Upon  his 
return  he  told  the  Empress  that  the  Tuileries  had  been 
occupied  and  afterwards  evacuated  by  the  insurgents,  and 
that  the  Palace  was  at  present  in  the  hands  of  the  National 
Guard;  he  also  informed  her  that  the  Republic  had  been 

163 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

proclaimed,  and  that  a  Government  was  already  in  process 
of  formation  at  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  The  Ministers  had  left 
their  Ministries,  and  the  powers  appointed  by  the  Regent 
existed  no  longer.  It  was  clear  that  under  the  circum- 
stances the  Empress  had  no  choice  but  to  leave  Paris. 

The  first  step  taken  by  Dr.  Evans  and  Mr.  C.  to  ensure 
the  success  of  their  scheme  was  to  make  certain  that  the 
way  out  of  Paris  was  still  open.  They  therefore  visited 
the  fortifications;  but  the  gates  were  unguarded,  and  car- 
riages could  go  out  and  return  without  being  subjected  to 
any  kind  of  examination. 

Whilst  Dr.  Evans  and  his  friend  busied  themselves 
with  the  preparations  for  the  flight  from  Paris,  the  Empress 
took  some  much  needed  repose,  and  at  five  o'clock 1  she 
seated  herself  in  the  carriage  with  Mme.  Lebreton,  Dr. 
Evans  and  Mr.  C. 

Some  mobiles  were  on  sentry  duty  at  the  Pont  de 
Neuilly,  but  they  only  stopt  the  carriage  for  a  moment, 
and  it  then  rapidly  disappeared  down  the  Avenue  de  la 
Grande  Armee. 

The  carriage  took  the  road  to  St.  Germain-en-Laye, 
and  crossed  the  streets  of  the  usually  quiet  little  town,  now 
filled  with  uproar.  From  St.  Germain  the  travelers  pro- 
ceeded to  Mantes,  where  Dr.  Evans  left  his  carriage  and 
horses  in  the  care  of  one  of  his  friends.  Another  carriage 
was  hired  at  Mantes,  and  this  conveyed  Her  Majesty  to 
within  a  few  miles  of  Evreux.  Towards  midnight  the  car- 
riage was  again  changed.  Evreux  was  passed  on  the 
morning  of  September  6.  The  great  square  was  thick  with 
mobiles,  to  whom  rifles  were  being  issued  at  the  Hotel  de 
Ville.  Their  commander,  the  Comte  d'Arjuzon,  Chamber- 
lain to  the  Emperor,  came  out  of  the  Mairie,  drest  in 

1  Evidently  the  author  means  5  a.  m.  September  5  (Translator's  Note). 

164 


Driving   to    Freedom 


civilian  clothes,  just  as  the  carriage  drove  by.  His  eyes 
met  those  of  Mme.  Lebreton,  but  it  is  uncertain  whether 
he  recognized  the  Empress  or  her  companion. 

A  halt  was  made  at  an  inn  outside  the  town,  and  the 
carriage  stopt  to  feed  and  water  the  horses  without 
unharnessing  them.  A  great  number  of  mobiles  were 
gathered  in  this  locality,  as  they  were  now  returning  to 
their  homes  after  having  received  their  equipment,  and  as 
they  passed  and  repassed  the  carriage  they  looked  curi- 
ously at  the  two  ladies  who  were  sitting  inside.  Dr.  Evans 
managed  to  procure  some  food  at  the  inn,  which  he 
brought  to  the  Empress,  who  partook  of  a  light  meal  be- 
fore the  carriage  once  more  started  on  the  road  from 
Evreux  to  Bernay,  and  thence,  via  Lisieux,  to  the  coast. 

Dr.  Evans  and  Mr.  C.  took  turns  to  sit  beside  the 
driver,  ostensibly  to  smoke  a  cigar,  but  actually  to  "  sound  " 
the  driver  and  find  out  whether  he  suspected  anything. 
The  driver  whom  they  had  engaged  after  leaving  Evreux 
was  overjoyed  at  the  Revolution  in  Paris,  and  indulged  in 
the  sanguinary  hope  that  "one  would  finish  off  all  the 
bourgeois" 

Nevertheless,  he  little  guessed  whom  he  was  driving. 
Towards  evening  this  man,  finding  himself  at  some  con- 
siderable distance  from  his  original  starting-place,  refused 
to  go  farther,  and  deposited  the  travelers  at  an  inn,  in 
a  place  the  name  of  which  had  escaped  Mme.  Lebreton's 
memory.  Here  they  had  to  cross  the  great  hall  of  the  inn, 
which  also  served  as  a  kitchen,  and  where  several  rustics 
were  sitting  down  to  a  glass;  but  hardly  was  Her  Majesty 
settled  in  the  only  available  bedroom  than  the  fugitives 
again  experienced  a  moment  of  awful  anxiety.  It  ap- 
peared that  a  man  who  had  just  arrived  from  Paris  had  in- 
quired about  the  names  of  the  travelers. 

165 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

They  now  fully  believed  that  all  was  indeed  lost,  and 
Her  Majesty  was  informed  of  their  fears.  But  the  mys- 
terious inquirer  turned  out  to  be  a  perfectly  harmless  in- 
dividual who  suspected  nothing  and  who  was  quite  content 
when  told  that  four  English  people  had  arrived  at  the  inn 
before  himself.  Having  satisfied  his  curiosity,  the  stranger 
troubled  them  no  more. 

It  would  have  been  easy  for  Her  Majesty  to  have  mini- 
mized the  constant  danger  of  detection  by  adopting  some 
disguise  which  would  have  hidden  that  lovely  face,  whose 
features,  thanks  to  the  art  of  photography,  are  familiar  to 
most  people.  And  the  face  of  the  Empress,  once  seen,  was 
not  easily  mistaken  for  another.  It  would  have  been  quite 
possible  for  the  Empress  to  have  made  herself  look  older 
by  some  arrangement  of  her  hair  or  by  some  other  means. 
Mme.  Lebreton,  with  the  frankness  which  the  situation 
demanded,  and  which  her  devotion  authorized,  reproached 
the  Empress  for  refusing  to  take  these  necessary  precau- 
tions, and,  in  fact,  went  so  far  as  to  accuse  her  Royal 
mistress  of  vanity.1  But  the  Empress  was  not  actuated 
by  mere  vanity;  she  knew  that  if  she  were  discovered  in 
any  kind  of  disguise  she  would  be  inevitably  exposed  to 
ridicule,  and  she  refused  even  to  contemplate  such  a  situa- 
tion. She  wished,  in  such  an  event,  to  maintain  her  dig- 
nity as  a  woman  and  as  a  Sovereign,  and  she  rightly  esti- 
mated the  effect  which  her  personality  and  beauty  would 
produce  on  those  who  might  try  to  arrest  her.  Her  beauty 
was  her  sole  weapon,  her  only  defense,  and  by  its  aid  she 
knew  she  would  be  enabled  to  play  the  Empress  to  the  last. 

The  night  of  September  6-J  was  passed  quietly  at  the 
country  inn.     In  the  early  morning  a  carriage  conveyed 

1  Mme.  Lebreton  had  in  mind  that  black  penciled  line  under  the  eyelashes,  which 
has  been  mentioned  in  the  first  chapter. 

166 


The   English   Yacht 


the  Empress  and  her  companions  to  a  local  railway  station. 
But  the  time  of  the  train  had  been  miscalculated,  and 
there  was  a  long  time  to  wait,  during  which  the  Empress 
read,  her  veil  carefully  lowered.  At  Lisieux,  where  the 
party  left  the  train,  the  town  and  the  railway  station  were 
crowded  with  mobiles.  From  Lisieux  the  Empress  and  her 
friends  drove  to  the  hotel  at  Deauville,  where  Mrs.  Evans 
happened  to  be  staying,  and  whilst  Mr.  C.  and  Mme. 
Lebreton  went  into  the  hotel  by  the  main  entrance,  Dr. 
Evans  and  the  Empress  slipt  in  almost  unobserved,  and 
went  to  the  rooms  occupied  by  Mrs.  Evans,  upon  whom 
the  Empress  was  supposed  to  be  paying  a  call. 

The  great  difficulty  which  now  confronted  the  friends 
of  the  Empress  was  to  discover  the  best  means  of  getting 
her  out  of  France.  Dr.  Evans  at  once  set  about  solving 
this  problem,  and  as  he  was  walking  on  the  quay,  wonder- 
ing what  course  he  should  adopt,  he  happened  to  notice  a 
small  but  beautiful  yacht.  An  idea  struck  him;  he  asked 
the  name  of  the  owner  of  the  yacht,  and  was  told  that  she 
belonged  to  Sir  John  Burgoyne,  an  English  officer,  who 
was  staying  at  Deauville. 

Dr.  Evans  at  once  went  in  search  of  Sir  John,  told  him 
the  whole  story,  and  begged  his  assistance.  Sir  John 
Burgoyne  listened  attentively,  and  exprest  himself  will- 
ing to  help  the  Empress,  subject  to  his  wife's  consent. 
This  was  easily  obtained,  and  the  day  was  not  nearly  over 
when  the  answer  in  the  affirmative  reached  Dr.  Evans. 

Towards  midnight  the  Empress  left  the  hotel  where 
she  had  remained  in  hiding  and  crossed  the  moonlit 
lawns  of  Deauville.  All  was  silent  and  deserted.  A  few 
Custom-house  officials  were  walking  about  in  the  proximity 
of  the  yacht,  where  Sir  John  Burgoyne  awaited  the 
Empress.     In  order  to  avoid  suspicion,  Sir  John  greeted 

167 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

his  illustrious  passenger  with  a  familiar  handshake,  as  if 
she  were  an  intimate  friend  who  was  about  to  come  on 
board  his  yacht.  But  when  Sir  John  found  himself  alone 
with  the  Empress  in  the  cabin  his  manner  changed,  and  he 
respectfully  kissed  the  hand  which  she  extended  to  him. 

At  that  moment  the  sleeping  town  was  awakened  by 
shouting  and  singing.  The  fugitives  on  the  yacht  recog- 
nized the  strains  of  the  Marseillaise,  mingled  with  the  cries 
of  "Long  live  the  Republic!"  "Long  live  the  Nation!" 
which  had  followed  them  all  the  way  from  the  Tuileries, 
and  the  Empress  momentarily  feared  that  she  had  been 
traced  to  Deauville.  But  this  was  not  the  case;  the  noise 
was  due  to  the  arrival  of  the  Paris  train,  and  the  travelers 
having  shouted  and  sung  until  they  were  tired,  repaired  to 
the  various  hotels,  and  all  was  quiet  once  more. 

At  five  in  the  morning  the  yacht  set  sail,  and  the  Em- 
press lost  sight  of  the  shores  of  France.  Lady  Burgoyne 
had  given  her  own  cabin  to  the  Empress,  who  shared  it 
with  Mme.  Lebreton.  The  first  few  hours  were  uneventful, 
but  the  breeze  freshened  before  the  yacht  entered  English 
waters,  and  when  night  fell  the  wind  was  so  strong  that 
Sir  John  Burgoyne  became  uneasy.  His  apprehensions 
were  more  than  justified,  as  that  night  the  wind  and  storm 
wrecked  a  yacht  very  similar  to  his  own,  and  farther  down 
the  Channel  H.  M.  S.  Captain  went  down,  the  name  of 
whose  commander  was,  by  some  uncanny  coincidence, 
also  Burgoyne,  and  the  news  of  whose  loss  caused  consider- 
able excitement  in  England. 

Sir  John  took  care,  however,  not  to  alarm  his  illustrious 
passenger,  but  through  the  thin  wooden  partitions  the 
Empress  could  hear  him  discussing  the  gravity  of  the  situa- 
tion with  Lady  Burgoyne,  a  woman  of  courage  and  intel- 
lect, of  whose  advice  he  often  availed  himself.    As  a  matter 

1 68 


A   Night   of  Storm 


of  fact,  he  was  not  more  of  a  sailor  than  was  his  wife,  but 
upon  Sir  John  rested  the  responsibility  of  what  was  the 
best  course  to  adopt  under  the  present  circumstances. 
Should  he  run  before  the  wind,  or  should  he  keep  the  ship 
close-hauled?  Lady  Burgoyne  counseled  the  last,  and 
her  advice  was  taken. 

But  there  came  a  moment  in  this  long  night  of  storm 
when  the  Empress  thought  that  the  little  yacht  was  being 
dashed  to  pieces,  and  she  heard  the  ominous  words:  "We 
are  ashore!" 

"What  are  they  saying?"  asked  Mme.  Lebreton,  who 
had  no  strength  left  to  pray,  but  who  still  convulsively 
clutched  her  rosary.  "They  are  saying,"  the  Empress 
told  her,  "that  we  are  near  the  land!"  And  Mme.  Lebre- 
ton, reassured  by  this  free  translation  of  a  sinister  phrase, 
cried:  "Near  the  land!  Ah,  God  be  praised."  She  learnt 
later  that  the  Empress  had  believed  the  yacht  as  good 
as  lost,  but  happily  it  was  a  false  alarm;  and  when  day 
broke  after  the  awful  night  the  wind  dropt,  and  the 
vessel  resumed  her  course.  Sir  John  Burgoyne  landed 
the  Empress  at  Cowes,  and  there  Her  Majesty  reem- 
barked  and  reached  the  mainland  a  few  hours  later.  On 
the  evening  of  the  same  day  (Friday,  September  9) 
she  joined  her  son  at  Hastings. 


169 


CHAPTER  IX 

MONSIEUR  REGNIER 

IT  was  on  the  morning  of  September  12  that  Eugene 
Conneau  and  I,  after  having  vainly  hunted  for  the 
Empress  for  several  days,  at  last  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  our  Sovereign  once  more,  and  it  was  possible  for 
me  to  place  in  her  hands  the  Emperor's  message  which  I 
had  in  my  care.  That  message  could  now  tell  her  nothing 
that  was  new,  but  she  was  happy  to  possess  it  and  to  keep 
it  as  an  historic  document. 

The  Empress  and  her  son  occupied  quite  modest  apart- 
ments at  the  Marine  Hotel,  situated  on  the  Eastern  Pa- 
rade. This  temporary  resting-place,  where  she  was  only  to 
stay  a  very  few  days,  has,  all  the  same,  its  peculiar  interest 
and  importance,  since  a  photograph  of  it  nearly  caused  a 
change  in  the  course  of  French  history. 

We  found  Her  Majesty  seated  near  the  fireplace  in  a 
room  on  the  first  floor,  looking  out  on  the  sea  front  and 
communicating  by  large  folding  doors  with  her  bedroom. 
This  room  served  at  the  same  time  as  a  drawing-room  and 
a  dining-room,  and  I  remember  that  our  first  conversation 
was  interrupted  almost  at  once  by  the  servants  who  en- 
tered without  ceremony  to  lay  the  table. 

I  was  painfully  affected  by  all  this,  but  she  paid  no 
attention  to  these  details.  She  resumed  at  once  and  with- 
out any  effort  the  ways  of  private  life;  but  if  she  renounced, 
without  a  sigh  of  regret,  all  her  retinue  and  splendor,  she 
never  forgot  her  great  duties.  She  remained  conscious — 
I  saw  this  at  once — of  the  position  which  she  had  occupied 

170 


In    Exile 

and  which  she  still  occupied.  "I  believe,"  she  said  to  me, 
"that  I  can  still  be  useful  to  the  National  Defense." 
With  this  view  she  had  decided  to  write  to  the  Emperors 
of  Russia  and  Austria;  she  desired  to  remind  the  first  of 
the  definite  statement  transmitted  by  General  Fleury  in 
his  dispatch  of  August  26,  and  the  second  of  the  promises 
made  in  his  name  by  Prince  Metternich,  promises  to  which 
she  had  alluded  in  her  interview  with  the  Deputies  on 
September  4.  She  desired  to  ensure  that  France,  under 
the  new  Government  which  the  nation  had  chosen,  or,  at 
any  rate,  accepted,  should  still  benefit  by  the  friendly  dis- 
positions of  these  two  powers.  The  drawing  up  of  these 
two  letters  was  our  first  work,  but  one  must  understand 
clearly  that  my  share  of  it  was  quite  insignificant.  The 
Empress  herself  wrote  the  letters  which  she  signed,  and  it 
would  have  been  a  useless  blunder  to  have  attempted  to 
relieve  her  of  this  task.  She  had  a  natural  talent  for  saying 
things  in  a  clear  and  striking  manner.  She  could  have 
given  some  valuable  lessons  in  style  to  professional  scrib- 
blers, just  as  La  Rochefoucauld  and  Saint  Simon  could 
have  taught  more  than  one  heavy  rhetorician  of  their  time 
his  trade. 

Here  is  the  letter  which  the  Empress  addrest  to  the 
Tsar,  a  letter  a  nearer  date  for  which  I  am  not  able  to  give: 

"Hastings,  September,   1870. 
"Sire, 

"An  exile  from  my  country,  I  write  to-day  to  Your 
Majesty.  If,  some  days  ago,  when  the  destinies  of  France 
were  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Emperor's  Executive,  I  had 
taken  the  step  I  am  taking  now,  I  should  perhaps  have 
appeared  in  the  eyes  of  Your  Majesty  and  in  those  of 
France  as  lacking  faith  in  the  vitality  of  my  country.    The 

171 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

last  events  have  given  me  liberty  of  action,  and  I  can  now 
appeal  to  Your  Majesty's  heart.  If  I  have  correctly  under- 
stood the  reports  sent  by  our  Ambassador,  General  Fleury, 
your  Government  negatived  a  -priori  the  eventual  possi- 
bility of  the  dismemberment  of  France. 

"Sire,  Fate  has  been  against  us.  The  Emperor  is  a 
prisoner  and  the  object  of  calumnies.  Another  Govern- 
ment has  taken  up  the  task  which  we  had  considered  it  our 
duty  to  accomplish.  I  implore  Your  Majesty  to  use  your 
influence  in  order  that  an  honorable  and  lasting  peace 
may  be  concluded  when  the  moment  comes.  May  France, 
whatever  her  Government,  find  in  Your  Majesty  the  same 
kind  dispositions  that  you  have  shown  to  us  in  these  days 
of  trial.  Such  is  the  prayer  that  I  address  to  you.  In 
my  situation  everything  is  liable  to  be  misjudged.  I  pray 
Your  Majesty,  therefore,  to  keep  secret  this  step,  which 
your  generous  soul  will  easily  understand,  and  to  which  I 
am  encouraged  by  the  memory  of  your  stay  in  Paris." 

The  Emperor  of  Russia  answered  this  letter  as  follows : 

"Tsarskoe-Selo,  September  20  (old  style). 
October  2,  1870  (new  style). 
"I  have  received,  Madame,  the  letter  Your  Majesty  has 
kindly  sent  me.  I  understand  and  I  appreciate  the  senti- 
ments which  dictated  it  and  made  you  forget  your  own  mis- 
fortunes and  think  only  of  those  of  France.  I  am  deeply 
concerned  for  that  country,  and  I  long  ardently  that  a 
prompt  peace  should  come  and  end  its  sufferings  and  the 
evils  which  are  resulting  for  all  Europe.  I  believe  that  such 
a  peace  will  be  lasting  in  proportion  as  it  is  based  on  justice 
and  moderation.  I  have  done,  and  shall  continue  to  do,  all 
that  lies  in  me  to  contribute  to  this  result,  for  which  I 

172 


Royal    Letters 

fervently  pray.    I  thank  you  for  your  kind  remembrance 
and  for  your  confidence  in  my  sentiments.    In  renewing 
to  you  the  assurance  of  my  friendship,  I  am,  Madame, 
"Your  Majesty's  good  brother, 

("Signed)  Alexander." 

I  have  not,  unfortunately,  the  text  of  the  letter  ad- 
drest  by  the  Empress  Eugenie  to  the  Emperor  Francis 
Joseph,  but  it  is  easy  to  guess  the  contents  after  reading 
the  reply  of  the  Austrian  Emperor: 

"Madame,  my   Sister, 

"I  am  profoundly  sensible  of  the  trust  Your  Majesty 
reposes  in  me,  and  the  letter  which  comes  to  me  through 
Count  Apponyi  has  touched  me  deeply.  No  one  could 
show  more  patriotism  and  personal  abnegation  in  the 
midst  of  such  cruel  misfortunes.  The  expression  of  these 
noble  sentiments  would  call  forth  all  my  sympathies  if  they 
were  not  already  given  to  Your  Majesty  in  the  highest  de- 
gree, as  well  as  to  your  unfortunate  country.  I  tender  well- 
merited  homage  to  the  courage  which  endures  unfalter- 
ingly such  overwhelming  blows,  and  my  heart  takes  a  real 
share  in  the  anguish  suffered  by  Your  Majesty  as  a  mother, 
as  a  wife  and  as  a  Sovereign.  The  fate  of  France  is  my 
earnest  preoccupation.  To  do  everything  possible  in  her 
favor  according  to  the  dictates  both  of  policy  and  of 
humanity,  I  have  not  awaited  the  call  of  Your  Majesty. 
I  feel,  too  deeply,  how  urgently  necessary  it  is  that  a 
prompt  and  honorable  peace  should  come  to  put  an  end 
to  the  terrible  calamities  of  this  war.  My  hopes  and  my 
efforts  tend  unceasingly  to  this  end,  and  I  shall  not  stop 
in  my  endeavors.  It  will  be  the  easier  for  me  now  to 
plead  in  the  cause  of  peace,  because  my  influence  has 

i73 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

always  been  exercised  in  that  sense.  It  has  been  no  fault 
of  mine  that  peace  was  not  preserved,  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  sorrowful  emotions  caused  by  the  sight  of  such  ruin, 
I  find  at  least  a  sad  consolation  in  thinking  that  I  cannot 
reproach  myself  with  having  helped  in  any  way  to  bring 
about  the  outbreak  of  this  disastrous  war.  On  the  con- 
trary, I  have  done  all  I  could  to  prevent  a  conflict,  of 
which  I  could  see  the  dangers  for  France  and  the  grave 
embarrassments  for  my  Empire.  The  reestablishment  of 
peace  is  to-day  the  object  of  all  my  wishes,  and  so  far  as 
I  am  permitted  I  shall  devote  to  it  my  most  assiduous  care. 
But  Your  Majesty  knows  that  a  Sovereign  cannot  listen 
only  to  the  inspirations  of  his  heart.  He  must  comply 
with  the  necessities  of  his  position,  and  fulfil  the  duties 
which  Providence  has  laid  upon  him  towards  the  peoples 
whose  destinies  have  been  placed  in  his  charge. 

"I  can  but  follow  the  line  of  conduct  which  is  traced 
for  me  by  such  lofty  considerations;  but  Your  Majesty  will 
always  find  me  disposed  to  make  sincere  efforts  towards 
lessening  the  evils  which  have  burst  over  France.  Of  all 
the  neutral  Powers,  I  think  Austria  is  the  one  which  is 
animated  by  the  most  friendly  feelings  for  France,  and 
will  raise  its  voice  most  willingly  in  her  favor.  My  true 
sympathies  for  that  country  are  augmented  by  her  mis- 
fortunes, and  I  shall  be  happy  to  be  able  to  give  Your 
Majesty  some  proof  of  the  true  personal  attachment  that 
I  have  long  felt  for  you. 

"I  pray  Your  Majesty  to  accept  my  affectionate 
homage  as  well  as  the  assurance  of  the  sentiments  with 
which 

"I  am,  Madame,  Your  Majesty's  good  brother, 

"(Signed)  Francis  Joseph. 

"SCHOENBRUNN,   Oct.    12,    1870." 

174 


M.    Regnier   Arrives 


The  Empress  had  with  her  at  Hastings,  besides  Mad- 
ame Lebreton,  her  two  nieces,  Marie  and  Louise,  who 
had  been  in  England  for  some  weeks,  also  the  Comtesse 
Clary,  who  came  to  join  her  husband,  attached  to  the 
Prince's  person.  Messieurs  Duperre  and  Lamey,  the 
other  two  aides-de-camp,  completed  the  group  at  this 
early  date.  As  to  M.  Eugene  Conneau,  the  Empress 
encouraged  him  to  return  to  France  to  take  part  (if  there 
was  still  time)  in  the  defense  of  Paris.  He  hastened  to 
obey  her.  This  brave  officer,  who  had  already  earned  his 
spurs  in  Mexico  and  elsewhere,  distinguished  himself  dur- 
ing the  siege  under  the  orders  of  General  Fave,  who 
commanded  one  of  the  sectors. 

Commander  Duperre  and  Madame  Lebreton  now 
busied  themselves  in  seeking  out  a  residence  which  should 
provide  a  fit  dwelling-place  for  the  fugitive  Sovereign  and 
her  son.  We  were  eager  to  leave  the  Marine  Hotel 
where  we  were  very  uncomfortable  and  where  we  suffered 
a  good  deal  from  the  curiosity  of  the  ill-mannered.  In 
fact,  crowds  were  almost  always  hanging  about  in  front  of 
the  house  watching  the  movements  of  the  Prince  and  his 
mother,  and  staring  into  the  big  bay  windows  of  the  hotel 
facade,  so  that  we  felt  like  wild  animals  exposed  to  the 
inspection  of  passers-by  in  a  glass  cage.  When  night  fell 
and  the  blinds  were  drawn  we  were  left  in  comparative 
peace. 

One  evening,  it  was  only  four  days  after  our  arrival,  we 
were  all  together  with  the  Empress  in  the  drawing-room 
on  the  first  floor.  The  gentlemen  had  remained  down- 
stairs to  smoke.  Towards  nine  o'clock  one  of  them  came 
up  to  inform  Her  Majesty  that  a  Frenchman  had  called 
and  insisted  upon  being  received. 

"What  is  his   name?" 

i75 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

"He  gives  the  name  of  Regnier." 

"Oh!"  said  Madame  Lebreton,  "it  is  the  gentleman 
who  has  pestered  me  with  communications  these  two  days. 
He  has  a  plan  for  taking  Your  Majesty  back  to  France. 
He  is  the  man  who  has  four  proclamations — one  for  the 
army,  one  for  the  fleet,  one  for  the  French  people,  and 
one  for  foreign  Powers." 

"That  is  the  man,"  said  the  aide-de-camp.  "We  do 
not  know  how  to  get  rid  of  him." 

The  Empress  turned  to  me:  "Go  and  hear  what  he 
has  to  say." 

I  went  at  once,  and  the  three  aides-de-camp  disap- 
peared one  after  the  other,  leaving  me  tete-a-tete  with 
M.  Regnier.  I  expected  to  find  myself  in  the  presence  of 
one  of  those  political  lunatics  such  as  I  have  often  encoun- 
tered both  before  and  since.  But  directly  I  cast  my  eyes 
on  the  visitor  I  was  differently  imprest.  I  saw  before 
me  a  man  of  perhaps  fifty  years  of  age,  with  a  rather 
plebian  cast  of  face  at  but  the  same  time  intelligent  and 
resolute  in  expression.  The  square  and  powerful  jaw,  the 
penetrating,  imperious  and  hard  glance  gave  him  rather 
the  air  of  an  old  non-commissioned  officer  who  had  allowed 
his  white  hair  to  grow  into  a  lion's  mane:  not  one  of 
those  non-commissioned  officers  who  are  beloved  in  their 
regiment,  but  one  who  is  feared.  I  asked  him  who  he  was. 
He  replied  brusquely,  "I  am  nobody  at  all,"  and  without 
further  preamble  he  entered  on  his  business  and  showed 
me  his  plan.  The  Empress,  according  to  him,  ought  not 
to  accept  her  deposition.  She  should  embark  on  one  of 
the  ships  of  war  which  had  remained  loyal,  take  up  her 
position  in  a  seaport  town  (Le  Havre,  for  example),  sum- 
mon the  Chambers  around  her  and  enter  into  negotiation 
with  the  Prussians. 

176 


What   M.   Regnier   Wanted 


I  said  to  M.  Regnier,  "You  wish  to  explain  this  line 
of  conduct  to  the  Empress  ?  It  is  useless,  you  would  only 
waste  your  time.  She  has  absolutely  decided  not  to  take 
away  a  single  chance  or  a  single  soldier  from  the  Govern- 
ment of  National  Defense.  If  need  be,  she  would  even 
help  the  men  who  have  overthrown  her." 

The  preceding  pages  have  shown,  I  think,  and  those 
that  follow  will  do  so  even  more  clearly,  how  thoroughly 
justified  I  was  in  speaking  thus. 

M.  Regnier  replied,  "The  Empress  misconceives  her 
duty.  Her  duty  is  to  recover  power  and  to  treat  with 
Prussia.  France  is  beaten,  worse  beaten  than  Austria  was 
after  Sadowa.  Of  her  two  armies,  one  is  captured  and  the 
other  soon  will  be."  Here  I  protested,  but  he  repeated 
impressively,  "The  other  soon  will  be.  What  remains  is 
a  rabble  without  value." 

"France  is  arming,"  I  said  to  him,  "we  shall  see  again 
the  national  uprising  of  1792." 

M.  Regnier  sneered.  "You  know  very  well  that  the 
national  uprising  of  1792  is  a  legend.  Moreover,  the  men 
of  to-day  are  not  the  men  of  that  time.  Long  prosperity 
has  sapped  our  strength;  I  tell  you  all  is  finished.  If  they 
treat  at  once  France  will  keep  her  territory  intact,  if  not, 
in  three  months'  time  she  will  be  dismembered,  cut  up — 
I  tell  you  there  is  but  one  thing  to  do:  and  that  is — to 
conclude  peace." 

"Go  and  tell  that  to  the  men  who  have  hunted  the 
Empress  from  the  Tuileries,  it  is  for  them  to  treat." 

"Oh!  They  would  be  willing  enough  to  do  it,  and 
if  I  believed  that  they  could  succeed  I  would  wish  them 
luck,  but  they  cannot.  No  one  would  negotiate  with  a 
Government  born  of  riot  and  which  dare  not  consult  the 
electors.     For  the  foreign  Powers,  for  the  army,  for  the 

177 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

seven  and  a  half  millions  of  Frenchmen  who  voted  "Yes" 
at  the  Plebiscite  of  May  8,  the  Emperor  is  still  the  Em- 
peror. Now  he  is  not  a  free  agent,  and  he  has  del- 
egated his  powers  to  the  Empress,  it  is  she  therefore 
who  must  treat  for  peace." 

"But  she  of  whom  you  speak  is,  at  this  moment,  a 
woman  helpless  and  isolated,  without  friends,  without  sup- 
port; she  has  not  a  shilling  or  a  soldier  at  her  call." 

"What  about  the  army  of  Metz?" 

"Who  has  told  you  that  Bazaine  was  faithful?  Who 
has  told  you  that  Bismarck  would  refuse  to  treat  with 
the  Government  of  National  Defense  and  would  be  dis- 
posed to  treat  with  that  of  the  Empress?" 

"No  one.  .  .  .  Ah!  do  not  think  you  have  beaten  me. 
I  know  nothing,  but  the  duty  of  the  Empress  is  to  find 
it  out  and  that  without  delay." 

"But  how?    It  is  a  very  difficult  proposition." 

"Nonsense!    It  is  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world." 

I  considered  a  moment. 

"M.  Regnier,"  I  said,  "I  see  that  you  are  a  positivist, 
you  seem  to  forget  that  moral  forces  exist  and  that  those 
forces  rule  the  world.  The  Empire  at  this  moment  is 
beaten  down  by  such  a  violent  stream  of  public  opinion 
that  it  is  impossible  to  set  it  up  again.  Let  us  suppose 
your  idea  is  realized.  The  existence  of  the  Imperial 
Family,  once  back  in  the  Tuileries,  would  be  a  veritable 
agony  and  it  would  very  soon  be  swept  away  in  a  bloody 
catastrophe." 

"What  is  that  to  me?"  said  M.  Regnier  coldly.  "I 
am  no  follower  of  the  dynasty.  I  don't  care  a  fig  for  the 
Napoleons.  What  I  want  is  to  save  the  territory  of  my 
country.  If  you  are  a  good  Frenchman  you  ought  to 
agree  with  me." 

178 


The   Signed   Photographs 


He  had  now  come  close  to  me,  speaking  almost  in  my 
face,  as  if  he  wished  to  hypnotize  me. 

"And,"  he  continued,  "if  the  Empress  is  the  heroine 
they  claim  her  to  be,  she  will  sacrifice  herself  and  drink 
the  cup  of  bitterness  to  the  dregs." 

I  went  up  to  the  Empress  and  entreated  her  to  grant 
M.  Regnier  a  few  minutes'  audience.  I  found  myself  up 
against  an  immovable  refusal,  and  I  had  to  convey  this 
refusal  to  the  visitor.  He  rose  and  took  up  his  hat.  I 
could  not  help  saying  to  him,  "You  might  perhaps  see 
the  Emperor." 

"That  is  what  I  shall  try  to  do,  but  I  shall  not  be 
allowed  to  get  near  him.  .  .  .  Ah!  if  I  had  some  message, 
such  as  a  photograph,  signed  by  the  Prince  for  his  father. 
.  .  .  Wait  a  moment,  I  think  I  can  find  one." 

He  returned  in  a  few  minutes  bringing  three  views 
of  the  Marine  Hotel  and  of  the  Hastings  sea  front. 

I  said,  "Return  to-morrow  morning  at  seven  o'clock 
and  you  shall  have  the  answer." 

After  he  was  gone  I  went  up  at  once  to  the  Prince, 
who  was  going  to  bed,  and  I  heard  him  say  his  prayers 
as  usual. 

" Monseigneur"  I  said,  "there  is  a  Frenchman  in 
Hastings  who  is  about  to  go  to  Wilhelmshohe.  Will  you 
confide  to  him  a  message  for  the  Emperor?" 

"Willingly,"  replied  the  Prince.  "What  shall  I  send 
my  father?" 

"Merely  your  signature  with  just  a  word  on  one  of 
these  photographs." 

Uhlmann  l  went  off  to  find  pen  and  ink.  The  photo- 
graphs signed,  I  rejoined  the  Empress  and  submitted  M. 
Regnier's  request,  but  without  success. 

1  The  Prince's  servant  (Translator's  Note). 
179 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"We  do  not  know  this  man,"  she  said,  "and  we  cannot 
confide  any  message  to  him;  but  to  soften  the  refusal  tell 
him  that  the  mission  he  wishes  to  undertake  presents 
certain  dangers,  and  that  I  will  not  expose  him  to  them." 

I  retired  to  my  own  room.  It  was  a  night  full  of  an- 
guish. I  pondered  painfully  the  cruel  words  of  M.  Reg- 
nier.  I  was  profoundly  devoted  to  my  Sovereign.  I 
loved  my  country  passionately.  In  the  end  I  persuaded 
myself  that  by  disobeying  the  first  I  should  serve  both. 

The  next  day,  the  17th,  at  seven  o'clock  M.  Regnier 
came  to  my  room  and  I  gave  him  the  three  photographs 
signed  Louis  Napoleon.  On  the  largest  he  had  written, 
"My  dear  Papa,  I  send  you  some  photographs  of  Hast- 
ings.   I  hope  you  will  like  them." 

I  said  to  M.  Regnier:  "The  Empress  has  refused  her 
sanction,  but  I  have  taken  it  upon  myself  to  disobey  her 
orders." 

We  did  not  exchange  another  word,  he  barely  thanked 
me,  and  hurried  away  as  if  afraid  that  I  should  suddenly 
change  my  mind.  My  eyes  followed  him.  I  seem  still 
to  see  him  striding  across  the  great  puddles  and  disappear- 
ing in  the  distance  along  the  front  at  that  hour  quite 
deserted. 

This  is  the  whole  truth  of  the  matter.  M.  Regnier  has 
asserted  that  I  gave  him  the  photographs  on  behalf  of 
the  Empress — it  is  absolutely  false.  It  was  said  that  he 
had  waylaid  the  Prince  whilst  out  walking,  and  that  he 
had  extorted  these  signatures  from  an  inexperienced  child 
of  fourteen — that  also  is  false.  Everything  happened  as 
I  have  just  stated.  Let  each  one  bear  the  responsibility 
of  his  own  acts. 

The  next  day  we  left  Hastings  to  settle  in  Chislehurst. 
The  day  after  that,  if  my  memory  serves  me,  Jerome 

180 


My   Confession 

David,  who  had  been  in  London  some  days,  came  to  pay 
the  Empress  a  visit.  They  had  been  together  some  five 
minutes  when  the  Empress  called  me. 

"What  is  the  meaning  of  this?"  she  said.  "You  have 
given  this  Regnier  a  photograph  signed  by  the  Prince 
which  I  had  forbidden  you  to  give  him?" 

I  admitted  it  at  once. 

"You  have  acted  very  wrongly;  this  man  is  a  spy  of 
Bismarck's,  or  an  agent  of  the  Government  at  Paris  who 
wishes  to  dishonor  us  in  the  eyes  of  the  nation  by  making 
it  appear  that  we  are  intriguing  with  Prussia." 

Jerome  David  explained  to  me  that  he  had  known 
Regnier  at  school,  that  this  individual,  trading  on  this 
acquaintance,  had  found  him  out  in  London  and  in  a  short 
interview  had  hinted  at  his  mysterious  projects. 

From  that  hour  we  lived  at  Chislehurst  in  a  state  of 
continual  apprehension.  What  was  M.  Regnier  doing? 
I  learnt  this  later,  when  I  read  the  manuscript  notes  in 
which  he  minutely  related  the  incidents  and  impressions 
of  his  journey  to  Ferrieres,  the  difficulties  and  dangers 
encountered  on  the  road,  his  arrival  at  the  Prussian  head- 
quarters the  same  day  as  Jules  Favre;  the  small  considera- 
tion shown  to  Jules  Favre,  the  deference  and  kindness 
with  which  he  (R6gnier)  was  treated  by  all  those  with 
whom  he  had  come  in  contact,  notably  by  M.  de  Hatzfeldt, 
who  had  given  him  his  own  room  and  had  spoken  with  re- 
spectful emotion  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  Empress.  He 
had  seen  the  Chancellor,  showing  him  the  photographs 
which  he  carried,  and  had  asked  permission  to  be  admitted 
without  delay  to  see  the  prisoner  at  Wilhclmshohc  and  to 
submit  to  him  his  plan  for  an  immediate  peace.  This  plan 
which  had  seemed  ridiculous  to  us  in  Hastings  was  taken 
seriously  by  Count  Bismarck,  who,  in  some  way,  adopted 

iKi 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

it  with  modifications.  But  before  anything  was  done  it 
was  necessary  to  know  whether  Bazaine  and  his  army  still 
held  to  the  Emperor,  and  whether  he  would  back  Regnier's 
plan,  and  thus  provide  the  basis  and  the  necessary  guar- 
antee for  negotiation. 

Regnier  had  therefore  to  go  to  the  marshal  and  bring 
back  the  latter's  consent.  This  mission,  incredibly  strange 
and  perilous,  Regnier  accepted  and  accomplished.  Such 
was  the  story  he  told.1 

We  knew  nothing  of  all  this,  but  on  September  28  in 
the  morning  a  dramatic  happening  enlightened  our  igno- 
rance. A  message  came  to  inform  me  that  General  Bour- 
baki  was  at  Camden  Place.  My  astonishment  can  be 
imagined.  The  commander  of  the  Imperial  Guard,  whom 
I  believed  to  be  closely  blockaded  in  the  lines  at  Metz 
with  his  soldiers,  was  in  the  room  adjoining  the  one  in 
which  I  was  going  over  a  page  of  Virgil's  "Georgics" 
with  the  Prince. 

I  ran  to  him  at  once.  I  found  the  general  seated  be- 
tween his  wife  and  his  sister.  He  was  drest  in  the  strang- 
est manner  which  more  or  less  disguised  him.  He  spoke 
with  difficulty,  and  had  the  air  of  one  struck  by  a  thun- 
derbolt. Madame  Bourbaki,  severe  and  sullen,  did 
not  return  my  salutation,  and  her  husband  offered  me  his 
hand  with  visible  hesitation.  He  repeated  at  intervals: 
"Lost!  Dishonored!"  The  Empress,  I  was  told,  had 
been  unable  to  draw  from  him  anything  except  the  words : 
"You  asked  for  me  and  here  I  am!"  What  had  hap- 
pened ? 

1  There  may  well  have  been  many  omissions  or  perversions  of  fact  in  these  notes, 
and  I  have  only  too  much  reason  to  know  how  little  respect  for  the  truth  worried 
M.  Regnier.  But  where  they  touched  on  the  language  and  attitude  of  the  Chan- 
cellor they  were  confirmed  on  all  points  by  the  conversations  of  Bismarck  with  Mr. 
G.  and  with  General  Boyer,  conversations  of  which  an  accurate  report  is  given  in  the 
next  chapter. 

182 


General    Bourbaki's   Note 


The  same  day  the  general  dictated  to  me  a  note  which 
contained  a  recital  of  the  facts  and  which  I  reproduce 
textually: 

"Saturday,  September  24,  I  went  up  to  the  fort  of 
St.  Julien  and  I  remained  in  the  neighborhood  until  five 
o'clock  in  the  evening.  When  I  returned  to  my  head- 
quarters Generals  Dauvergne  and  de  Villers  told  me  that 
one  of  Marshal  Bazaine's  nephews  was  looking  for  me 
everywhere  and  wanted  to  speak  to  me  and  give  me  a 
letter  from  the  marshal;  that  he  was  not  willing  to  leave 
it  and  had  returned  with  it  to  General  Headquarters. 
Whilst  talking  to  these  officers  I  was  making'  ready  to  go 
to  the  marshal,  when  I  received  a  telegram  ordering  me  to 
report  myself  without  delay.  I  had  a  horse  saddled  and 
went  off  to  headquarters,  where  first  of  all  I  met  Colonel 
Boyer,  who  said,  'Do  you  know  a  M.  Regnier?  Have 
you  seen  him  at  the  Tuileries?  There  he  is,  walking 
about.' 

"I  then  saw  a  gentleman  who  was  walking  with  the 
marshal,  and  I  replied  that  I  had  never  seen  him  near 
their  Majesties. 

"The  marshal,  hearing  that  I  was  there,  introduced 
M.  Regnier.  This  gentleman  at  once  began  to  speak;  he 
gave  me  news  of  my  sister,  showed  me  photographs  of  the 
house  in  which  the  Empress  was  staying,  and  said  that 
he  had  one  to  pass  on  to  the  Emperor,  upon  which  was 
written  in  the  Prince  Imperial's  handwriting  something 
like  this,  '  I  hope  that  you  will  be  pleased  to  have  a  photo- 
graph of  the  house  where  we  are  now  living.'  M.  Regnier 
then  explained  to  me  that  Jules  Favrc  had  intended  to 
treat  for  an  armistice,  but  that  fortunately  the  negotiations 
had  fallen  through;  that  one  had  to  accept  the  fact  that 

183 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

France  was  beaten  and  that  she  must  therefore  treat;  that 
the  conditions  offered  by  Prussia  would  be  more  favorable 
for  France  if  the  negotiations  were  with  the  only  rightful 
government  that  existed,  that  of  the  Empress-Regent. 
Then,  almost  at  this  moment,  the  marshal  came  in  and 
told  me  that  the  Empress  desired  to  have  either  Marshal 
Canrobert  or  myself  with  her. 

"Marshal  Bazaine  then  added  that  for  him,  as  for  the 
army,  there  was  but  one  government,  that  of  the  Regent, 
that  he  had  had  no  communications  from  any  government 
other  than  the  Emperor's,  and  that,  if  the  Regent  would 
treat,  he  and  his  army  would  back  up  the  treaty  which  she 
alone  could  make.  He  told  me  further  that  as  I  was 
aide-de-camp  to  the  Emperor,  and  commander-in-chief  of 
the  Imperial  Guard,  all  was  arranged  so  that  I  could  leave 
Metz. 

"I  remarked  that  all  this  seemed  very  extraordinary, 
that  there  was  not  a  word  from  the  Empress  nor  a  word 
from  my  sister  to  vouch  for  M.  Regnier,  had  there  been  I 
should  not  have  hesitated.  On  my  asking  the  marshal 
what  he  would  do  in  my  place,  he  answered  that  he  should 
report  himself  to  the  Empress  at  once,  and,  moreover,  he 
said  that  for  some  time  it  had  been  his  intention  to  have 
an  officer  with  her.  My  position,  he  declared,  fitted  me 
for  this  duty  better  than  anyone  else;  in  any  case,  Marshal 
Canrobert  could  not  go  on  account  of  the  pain  in  his  legs. 
I  commented  that  for  me  to  go  in  this  manner  would  make 
me  appear  a  deserter.  'Not  at  all,'  said  the  marshal,  'for 
I  will  give  you  written  instructions  and  put  it  in  orders 
to-morrow  so  that  it  will  be  known  to  all  that  I  have  sent 
you  to  the  Empress-Regent.' 

'"Under  these  conditions,'  I  replied,  'I  have  nothing 
more  to  say  and  I  will  go.' 

184 


At    The    Prussian    Headquarters 

"Having  reflected  that  I  had  no  mufti,  the  marshal 
put  his  own  civilian  clothes  at  my  disposal,  and  as  his 
trousers  were  too  wide  for  me,  he  even  went  so  far  as  to 
take  off  his  braces  and  give  them  to  me.  Then  he  handed 
to  me  my  order  for  departure.  M.  Regnier,  who  had  been 
present  during  the  whole  conversation,  read  the  order  and 
remarked  that  it  was  not  dated.  They  discust  the  date, 
I  do  not  know  why,  and  the  marshal  put  a  date  that  I 
believed  to  have  been  that  of  the  day,  the  24th,  but  I  have 
since  seen  that  he  had  put  the  15th. 

"Marshal  Canrobert  told  me  that  I  should  find  his  wife 
with  the  Empress,  that  he  approved  of  my  going,  and  he 
asked  me  to  give  news  of  him  to  the  Marechale. 

"At  seven  in  the  evening  I  got  into  the  carriage  with 
M.  Regnier.  I  was  drest  rather  like  the  international 
doctors,  for  they  had  given  me  a  cap  with  a  red  cross  on 
a  white  ground.  Seven  doctors  from  Luxembourg,  who 
had  also  to  go,  occupied  two  other  carriages. 

"We  arrived  at  the  outposts,  on  the  other  side  of 
Moulins,  two  leagues  x  from  our  headquarters,  but  there 
had  been  a  misunderstanding  between  the  officers  in 
charge  of  the  flags  of  truce,  and  we  were  not  allowed  to 
pass  until  the  next  day  at  daybreak.  A  Prussian  colonel 
came  to  meet  us  and  put  himself  in  communication  with 
M.  Regnier,  who  apologized  to  him  for  having  made  him 
wait  at  the  outposts  since  the  night  before.  The  colonel 
replied  that  that  was  so:  he  had  been  there  since  three 
o'clock  the  day  before.  M.  Regnier  added  that  he  had 
advised  him  of  his  delay  in  a  letter  which  had  not  arrived. 
He  made  us  get  into  a  carriage  and  took  us  himself  to 
Corny,  the  headquarters  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles.  M. 
Regnier  asked  me  if  I  would  like  to  see  the  Prince.     I 

1  Between  seven  and  ei^ht  miles  (Translator's  Note). 
I8C 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

replied,  'Not  for  the  world.'  He  told  me  that  the  chief 
of  the  general  staff  would  be  very  happy  to  shake  hands 
with  a  colleague.  I  replied  that  for  the  time  being  I 
desired  to  pass  unnoticed;  and,  in  fact,  no  one  spoke 
to  me. 

"About  an  hour  later  they  harnessed  up  a  great  brake, 
into  which  we  all  mounted,  except  M.  Regnier,  who  re- 
mained at  the  Prince's  camp,  saying  that  he  was  going 
to  see  Bismarck,  and  that  in  four  or  five  days  he  would 
be  with  the  Empress  bringing  a  draft  treaty.  We  were 
escorted  by  an  officer  who  was  aide-de-camp  to  Prince 
Frederick  Charles,  and  whom  I  had  often  met  in  Paris 
where  he  was  attached  to  the  Prussian  Embassy.  His 
name  was,  I  think,  M.  de  Siskow.  This  officer  said  to 
me  when  he  left  us:  'I  recognized  you  at  once.'  'So  did 
I,'  I  replied,  'but  the  circumstances  are  too  sad — and  I 
have  the  further  sorrow  of  having  had  to  leave  my  army 
corps.'  'I  hope,'  he  said,  'that  we  shall  meet  again  in 
happier  circumstances.'  He  had  overwhelmed  me  with 
attentions  before  he  made  himself  known  to  me  and  had 
been  extremely  polite  to  me.  This  is  a  positive  proof  that 
all  the  staif  and  Prince  Frederick  himself  knew  of  my 
journey  and  approved  of  it. 

"At  Remilly  we  found  a  special  train  which,  by  order 
from  high  authority,  was  to  take  us  as  far  as  Luxembourg, 
but  which  by  subsequent  instructions  left  us  at  Sarrebriick 
and  from  this  point  to  Luxembourg  we  always  had  a  car- 
riage reserved  for  us  at  the  expense  of  the  Prussian  Gov- 
ernment. The  bearing  of  M.  Regnier  towards  the  Prus- 
sian authorities  had  already  made  me  fear  that  I  had 
been  misled,  and  when  I  read  the  papers  in  Belgium,  it 
seemed  to  me  impossible  that  as  things  were  the  Empress 
could  sign  a  treaty  in  the  position  in  which  she  found 

1 86 


Bourhaki's   Enigmatic   Attitude 

herself,   and  I  bitterly  regretted  having  left  my  head- 
quarters. 

"I  therefore  request,  seeing  that  I  have  been  deceived 
(for  it  is  clear  I  can  render  no  service  to  the  Empress), 
that  I  may  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  returning  to  my 
post  immediately  so  that  I  may  share  the  fate  of  the 
soldiers  I  have  the  honor  to  command. 

"I  will  add  that  at  Moulins  or  at  Ars  M.  Regnier 
handed  me  a  few  sheets  of  paper,  telling  me  that  it  was 
an  account  of  his  interview  with  Bismarck.  He  also 
handed  me  his  pocket-book,  suggesting  that  I  should  use 
his  passport.  I  found  also  in  the  pocket-book  an  unsealed 
letter  addressed  to  his  wife. 

"(Signed)  C.  Bourbaki, 
"General  of  Division,  Aide-de-camp  to  the  Emperor, 
Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Imperial  Guard, 
"Camden  Place,  Chislehurst, 

"September  28,  1870." 

This  note,  very  circumstantial  in  all  that  touched  on  his 
departure  from  Metz,  did  not  explain  to  me  why  the 
general,  instead  of  coming  straight  to  the  Empress,  as  he 
had  been  ordered  to  do,  and  keeping  strictly  incognito  as 
he  had  agreed  with  Regnier,  had  stopt  two  days  in 
Belgium  and  had  let  himself  be  recognized  by  various 
persons.  During  his  stay  in  Brussels  he  had  met  many 
people  and  learnt  and  pondered  many  things.  He  seemed 
to  me  very  reserved  and  even  niggardly  of  details  when 
we  questioned  him  on  the  attitude  of  Bazaine  and  the 
troops  placed  under  his  orders  towards  the  Emperor  and 
the  Empire.  He  knew  nothing  of  what  was  passing  in 
the  town  of  Metz,  or  if  the  Republic  had  been  proclaimed 
there.     During  the  journey  which  he  made  in  the  train 

187 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

with  Regnier,  that  person  had  minutely  explained  to  him 
several  times  over  the  only  possible  conditions  of  peace  as 
outlined  by  Bismarck.  Naturally  we  questioned  him  on 
this  subject:  "I  have  quite  forgotten,"  said  he,  tapping 
his  forehead,  "I  cannot  recall  a  single  word  that  was  told 
me  by  that  diable  d'homme." 

The  general  could  think  of  nothing  but  his  personal 
position.  He  seemed  convinced  that  all  this  was  a  con- 
spiracy to  separate  him  from  his  soldiers.  As  if  it  mat- 
tered to  the  Prussians  who  had  commanded  the  Impe- 
rial Guard  now  that  it  with  the  rest  of  the  army  was 
reduced  to  complete  impotence!  The  Empress  visibly 
sympathized  with  the  despair  of  Bourbaki,  of  his  wife  and 
of  his  sister.  She  would  not  see  beyond  that,  and  without 
waiting  for  matters  to  be  cleared  up,  she  warned  the 
Prussian  Government  through  Lord  Granville  and  Count 
Bernstorff,  the  Prussian  Ambassador  in  London,  that  M. 
Regnier  was  not  invested  with  any  warrant,  and  that  she 
had  not  given  anyone  the  necessary  powers  to  negotiate. 
At  the  same  time  she  asked  Prince  Frederick  Charles  to 
give  the  necessary  authorization  for  Bourbaki  to  reenter 
the  lines  at  Metz.  In  the  meantime  the  general  left  for 
Brussels,  where  he  talked  a  great  deal  with  the  plenipoten- 
tiary minister  of  our  new  Republic,  M.  Tachard.  After 
having  made  us  wait  several  days  for  his  answer,  Frederick 
Charles  refused  the  permission,  and  Bourbaki  at  once 
offered  his  services  to  the  Government  at  Tours.  This 
Government  was  at  first  much  divided  whether  to  accept 
the  offer  or  not.  Cremieux  said  yes — Gambetta  said  no! 
At  last  they  agreed  in  the  affirmative  when  they  were  per- 
fectly convinced  that  Bourbaki,  far  from  conspiring  for 
the  restoration  of  the  Empire,  had  just  caused  the  failure 
of  a  plan  to  that  end  which  was  practicable  and  feasible. 


Regnier   at   Chislehurst 


He  went  therefore  to  Tours,  where  he  was  received  with 
open  arms.  He  had  entirely  recovered  his  memory,  and 
he  put  the  members  of  the  Government  in  possession  of 
the  facts  of  the  painful  situation  of  Bazaine.  This  did  not 
prevent  Gambetta  from  declaring  in  the  bulletins  issued 
to  the  French  people  that  he  had  excellent  news  of  "the 
heroic"  Bazaine,  and  that  the  army  of  Metz  would  hold 
out  indefinitely. 

General  Bourbaki  was  still  negotiating  with  Frederick 
Charles  when  M.  Regnier  appeared  at  Chislehurst.  It  is 
not  difficult  to  imagine  his  surprize  and  his  irritation.  On 
his  return  from  this  journey,  where  he  had  more  than  once 
risked  his  life,  he  found  his  plans  overthrown,  his  pre- 
cautions useless,  his  careful  arrangements  reduced  to 
nothing,  his  name  held  up  in  the  English  papers  to  uni- 
versal contempt  as  that  of  an  imposter  in  the  pay  of 
Prussia  who  had  used  a  mixture  of  the  methods  of  farce 
and  of  melodrama  to  steal  Bourbaki  away  from  the  midst 
of  his  soldiers. 

I  shared  with  Mme.  Lebreton  and  M.  Leon  Chevreau 
the  disagreeable  privilege  of  receiving  him. 

I  said  to  him:  "You  were  to  have  gone  to  the  Em- 
peror; you  have  done  nothing  of  the  kind." 

"I  had  no  time.  I  had  to  deal  with  emergencies  as 
they  came." 

"When  you  showed  the  photograph  as  coming  from 
the  Empress  you  knew  that  you  were  not  speaking  the 
truth." 

Regnier  laughed  brutally  in  my  face. 

"If  I  had  told  Count  Bismarck  that  my  only  creden- 
tials to  him  were  given  me  by  the  tutor  of  the  Prince 
Imperial,  do  you  think  he  would  have  listened  to  me  for 

a  single  minute?     Come,  don't  let  us  be  childish,  let  us 

189 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

occupy  ourselves  with  serious  business.  Where  do  we 
stand  now?  Why  is  not  Bourbaki  here  under  my  name  as 
we  had  agreed?  Has  he  told  you  the  conditions  of 
peace?" 

I  quote  the  words  of  this  man  to  show  the  reader  that 
if  he  had  once  gained  me  over  to  his  beliefs  it  was  not 
by  flattery. 

When  he  learnt  that  Bourbaki  had  been  either  unable 
or  unwilling  to  repeat  a  single  word  of  their  conversations, 
he  flew  into  a  rage  and  called  him  a  blockhead. 

"Never  has  France  been  so  badly  served  since  the 
madness  of  Charles  VI.  Fortunately  you  have  my  notes. 
I  suppose  Her  Majesty  has  read  them,  and  here  are  others 
which  follow  and  complete  the  first." 

He  returned  the  next  day,  again  insisting  upon  seeing 
the  Empress,  but  without  success.  As  he  was  disappear- 
ing in  the  park  and  was  already  half-way  to  the  gate,  the 
Empress  decided  to  receive  him  for  the  first  and  last  time. 
I  ran  after  him  and  brought  him  back  with  me  without 
telling  him  for  whom  I  was  acting.  He  believed  that  he 
was  to  have  another  interview  with  Henri  Chevreau,  who 
was  then  at  Camden  Place.  When  he  found  himself  in 
the  presence  of  the  Empress  his  presence  of  mind  deserted 
him  for  a  moment,  but  he  quickly  recovered  himself. 

The  Empress  said  to  him  with  much  dignity:  "You 
have  asked  very  persistently  to  speak  to  me.  I  am  ready 
to  listen  to  you.  Be  seated."  But  Regnier  preferred  to 
remain  standing.  Then  he  related  what  he  had  done, 
what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  mingling  some  follies  in  his 
account,  but  at  certain  moments  speaking  with  a  kind  of 
brutal  and  convulsive  eloquence  which,  as  before,  im- 
prest me.  He  explained  the  eventual  arrangements 
made  with  Bismarck. 

190 


The   Empress  Speaks   Out 


"The  army  at  Metz  was  to  go  out  with  all  the  honors 
of  war,  to  be  revictualed  and  to  occupy  a  large  neutral 
zone.  There  the  authorities,  illegally  dissolved,  would 
be  summoned  and  reconstituted  to  ratify  the  terms  of  the 
peace,  which  would  have  been  previously  accepted  by  the 
Emperor. 

"What  would  this  peace  be  like?  It  would  be  pain- 
ful but  not  disastrous,  it  would  cost  France  much  money 
and  some  districts  of  Alsace.  It  would  weaken  our  already 
none  too  strong  frontier.  But  could  one  hope  for  better 
terms  after  the  reverses  which  we  had  suffered  ?"  Regnier 
described  the  frightful  miseries  which  he  had  witnessed, 
the  deserted  villages,  the  peasants  hidden  in  the  woods, 
without  news,  without  food,  stupefied  with  terror  and 
despair.  He  finished  by  saying:  "You  will  have  nothing 
to  do  with  me  ?  So  be  it,  throw  me  overboard,  but  profit 
by  the  facts  which  I  have  told  you  and  the  advice  which  I 
have  given  you.  The  peace  is  prepared,  you  have  only 
to  sign  it;  there  is  still  time,  but  make  haste;  each  day 
that  passes  costs  France  millions  and  tears  away  a  piece 
of  her  flesh.  Remember  the  inexorable  date:  Metz  will 
fall  on  the  18th  (October).  Madame,  save  the  army  and 
save  France!" 

"Monsieur,"  said  the  Empress,  "I  blame  your  con- 
duct, but  I  render  justice  to  your  intentions.  There  is 
much  truth  in  what  you  have  said,  but  unhappily  you  do 
not  seem  to  know  your  countrymen.  They  will  never 
pardon  one  who  gives  up  a  portion  of  France;  they  will 
always  say,  and  their  sons  will  say  after  them,  that  if  only 
they  had  struggled  to  the  end  they  would  have  triumphed; 
and  furthermore,  the  peace  would  not  be  recognized,  and 
after  the  foreign  war  we  should  have  civil  war." 

The   interview   lasted   a   long  time,   and   it  was   more 

191 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

than  eight-thirty  when  M.  Regnier  withdrew.  The  notes 
which  he  left  in  our  hands  were  extremely  curious.  They 
revealed  the  character  of  the  man,  which  was  made  up  of 
unexpected  contrasts — energy  and  indomitable  activity, 
courage  which  recoiled  from  no  danger  and  no  fatigue,  and 
side  by  side  with  this  ridiculous  conceit  and  childishness; 
coupled  with  an  astonishing  intelligence  of  certain  men 
and  certain  things  he  showed  a  no  less  surprising  lack 
of  intelligence  with  regard  to  other  men  and  other  things. 
What  could  the  Iron  Chancellor  have  thought  when 
Re*gnier,  brought  before  him  for  the  third  time  at  Ferrieres, 
had  declaimed  a  sort  of  harangue  the  exordium  of  which 
he  had  been  composing  since  the  morning  as  he  was 
carried  across  the  plains  of  Champagne  exposed  to  the 
bullets  of  the  Prussians  and  the  francs-tireurs  ?  An  exor- 
dium in  a  philosophical  and  sententious  vein,  interspersed 
with  insipid  flatteries  addrest  to  the  great  personage! 

Infinitely  more  interesting  than  the  psychology  of  this 
adventurer  were  the  notes  which  made  known  the  attitude 
of  Bismarck  towards  the  Imperial  Government.  At  first 
he  had  welcomed  our  pretended  plenipotentiary  with  dis- 
tinction, with  favor  and  with  cordiality.  Bismarck  re- 
ceived him  before  and  after  Jules  Favre.  He  had  treated 
him  as  the  guest  of  the  King,  had  put  a  carriage  at  his 
disposal,  and  given  him  as  well  all  the  passes  that  he 
needed. 

During  his  second  visit  to  Ferrieres  (September  28-30) 
he  had  been  treated  with  much  less  distinction;  perhaps 
Bismarck  had  already  got  wind,  through  Count  Bernstorff, 
of  the  public  disavowal  of  Regnier,  but,  at  any  rate,  up 
to  the  last  moment  the  Prussian  Minister  had  repeated 
that  he  was  ready  to  treat  if  the  Empress  would  offer  the 
necessary  guarantees.     As   for  the  conditions  of  peace, 

192 


Regnier' s   Interviews  with   Bismarck 

Bismarck  had  not  said  a  word,  except  that  the  Emperor 
might  have  had  peace  after  Sedan  on  condition  of  a  mere 
rectification  of  frontiers.  It  was  Regnier  himself  who  had 
done  the  talking  and  suggested  a  line  going  from  Neuf- 
Brisach  to  Deux-Ponts  and  an  indemnity  of  a  thousand 
million  francs.  M.  Regnier  had  gone  so  far  as  to  write  in 
his  notes  this  staggering  phrase:  "7  am  disposed  to  cede 
Savoy  and  Nice,  if  necessary,  for  the  sake  of  keeping  our 
old  provinces. "  Bismarck  had  not  committed  himself,  but 
merely  said:  "Ah!  if  you  had  only  come  a  few  days  ago! 
Now  it  is  very  difficult;  however,  it  is  not  impossible!  But 
the  longer  you  wait  the  harder  it  will  become  .  .  .  one 
cannot  alter  Fate  or  retrace  the  stream  of  time.  You  can- 
not prevent  things  from  being  as  they  are." 

Regnier  was  trying  to  bring  Bismarck  back  to  the 
ground  of  practical  discussion.  He  insisted  on  the  fact 
that  he  had  now  authority  from  Bazaine  to  treat  with  him; 
but,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  he  had  no  other  credentials  than 
an  open  letter  from  the  marshal  to  his  wife,  in  which  the 
former  alluded  to  the  negotiations  initiated  by  M.  Regnier, 
which  would,  no  doubt,  lead  quickly  to  a  happy  solution. 
This  was  not  enough  for  Bismarck.  He  had  then  sent  a 
telegram  to  Marshal  Bazaine,  somewhat  in  these  terms, 
"Does  the  marshal  fully  empower  M.  Regnier  to  treat  in 
his  name  for  the  surrender  of  Metz?"  The  evening 
brought  a  telegram  from  Bazaine,  "I  cannot  answer  in 
the  affirmative;  the  town  and  garrison  of  Metz  are  not 
under  my  authority."  Upon  that  the  Chancellor  made 
known  to  M.  Regnier  by  Count  Hatzfeldt  that  he  could 
not  receive  him  again,  and  that  consequently  there  was 
no  further  reason  for  his  presence  at  Prussian  head- 
quarters. 

A  few  days  after  M,  Regnier's  visit  to  Camden  Place 

193 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

the  Empress  had  his  notes  and  his  passport  returned  to 
him. 

Thus  terminated  our  relations  with  this  enigmatic 
personage  whom  all  Europe  discust  for  a  fortnight. 

The  pamphlet  with  his  portrait  which  he  published  in 
English  under  this  sensational  title:  "What  is  your 
name?"  had  an  enormous  circulation.  In  it  he  informed 
the  public  that  he  was  born  in  Paris  in  1822,  that  his  wife 
was  English,  that,  independently  of  his  property  in  France, 
he  possest  an  income  of  20,000  francs  in  England;  and 
that  this  fact  ought,  in  his  opinion,  to  remove  all  suspicion 
concerning  him.  Were  the  details  which  he  thus  published 
concerning  himself  correct?  I  have  never  had  the  oppor- 
tunity of  checking  them. 

Having  roused  so  keenly  the  curiosity  of  the  entire 
world  for  one  or  two  weeks,  Regnier  lapsed  into  obscurity. 
He  came  to  give  evidence  at  Bazaine's  trial  at  Trianon; 
but  being  warned  that  there  was  some  idea  of  arresting 
him,  he  slunk  off  before  the  conclusion  of  it.  It  was  then 
that  he  was  condemned  to  death  by  judges  who  knew 
nothing  of  the  facts  nor  of  the  part  that  he  had  played. 
Then  silence  settled  around  him,  until  the  day  when  cer- 
tain papers  thought  that  they  had  discovered  him  in  I 
know  not  what  dark  intrigue  of  which  Roumania  was  the 
theater.  Some  years  later  he  died  in  obscurity  at  Rams- 
gate,  where  he  had  retired.  No  one  ever  spoke  of  Regnier 
until  one  fine  day  an  adventuress  at  bay,  towards  the  close 
of  a  sensational  case,  threw  this  forgotten  name  at  the 
public,  and  tried  to  graft  a  new  mystery  on  to  the  old  one. 
But  no  one  paid  much  attention,  and  oblivion  deeper  and 
darker  than  ever  has  once  more  fallen  upon  Regnier. 

I  can  do  no  more  than  raise  a  corner  of  the  veil. 

Even  now  when  I  call  up  the  figure  of  this  truly  extraor- 

194 


A   Terrible    Progression 


dinary  diplomat,  who  appeared  suddenly  one  night  at 
Hastings  and  vanished  with  equal  suddenness  another 
night  at  Chislehurst,  this  man  whom  no  one  knew,  who  had 
given  himself  the  mission  of  saving  France,  and  who  tried 
to  carry  this  out  by  sheer  insolence  and  audacity,  I  still 
feel  in  the  dark  as  to  his  true  motives  and  his  real  origin. 
Whom  did  he  serve?  Was  he  from  God  or  from  "the 
Other,"  as  the  exorcists  of  the  Middle  Ages  used  to  say? 
Was  he  a  friend  or  an  enemy?  I  know  not — but  this  much 
I  do  know,  that  his  arguments,  his  advice,  and  his  proph- 
ecies, everything  that  he  had  said  has  been  literally 
verified  and  justified. 

Let  me  call  the  attention  of  all  unbiased  and  unprej- 
udiced minds  to  the  following  terrible  progression. 

When  giving  up  his  sword  at  Sedan,  the  Emperor  could 
have  concluded  peace  at  the  price  of  a  war  indemnity  and 
of  a  rectification  of  the  frontier. 

On  September  20  at  Ferrieres  Jules  Favre  could  have 
concluded  peace  by  ceding  Strasbourg  and  its  environs. 

On  October  30  at  Sevres  the  conditions  of  peace  would 
have  been  the  cession  of  Alsace  and  an  indemnity  of  two 
thousand   million   francs. 

At  the  end  of  January  the  actual  conditions  of  peace 
involved  giving  up  Alsace,  a  part  of  Lorraine,  and  five 
thousand   million   francs. 

After  that  one  must  perhaps  admit  that  that  terrible 
man  Regnier  was  right  when  he  said  that  each  day  lost 
would  tear  from  France  a  piece  of  her  flesh;  and  the  writer 
of  this  book  may  not  have  been  so  mistaken  in  joining  his 
feeble  efforts  to  those  of  Regnier  to  hasten  the  conclusion 
of  peace. 

But  those  at  Chislehurst  were  far  from  thinking  thus, 
and  after  the  return  of  Bourbaki  I  was  in  some  ways 

195 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

practically  sent  to  Coventry.  Several  members  of  the 
household  ceased  to  speak  to  me.  As  to  the  Empress,  so 
soon  as  she  had  disavowed  Regnier  and  knew  that  Bour- 
baki  was  at  Tours  and  had  been  given  a  fresh  command 
on  the  active  list,  she  felt  free  once  more  and  regained 
her  serenity  of  mind.  Duperre  seeing  this  happier  mood 
called  her  attention  to  the  painful  position  in  which  I  was 
placed.  She  came  quickly  towards  me,  her  hand  out- 
stretched, generous  and  indulgent  as  I  have  always  found 
her. 

"I  never  bear  ill-will,"  said  she,  "to  those  who  meant 
to  act  for  the  best." 

I  received  my  pardon  humbly,  but  I  learnt  several  days 
later  that  the  Emperor  approved  of  my  action  and  con- 
sidered it  indispensable,  in  the  interests  of  France,  as  well 
as  his  own,  to  be  informed  with  absolute  certainty  as  to 
the  fidelity  of  the  Army  of  Metz  and  the  attitude  of 
Prussia. 

"Well,  so  be  it,"  said  the  Empress,  "if  it  can  be  proved 
to  me  that  King  William  will  give  us  better  conditions 
than  he  will  give  to  the  Government  of  National  Defense, 
and,  on  the  other  hand,  if  it  can  be  proved  to  me  that 
France  is  at  the  end  of  her  resources,  I  shall  drain  the 
cup  of  bitterness  to  the  dregs." 

From  that  time  the  policy  of  the  exiled  Regent  en- 
tered upon  a  new  phase. 


196 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  EMPRESS  AND  THE  CAPITULATION  OF  METZ 

WHEN  all  the  facts  of  the  Regnier  affair  were 
known  to  the  Emperor,  he  concluded  from  them 
that  if  the  Prussian  Government  was  indeed  sin- 
cere in  its  desire  to  treat  with  the  Regent,  rather  than  with 
the  Government  of  National  Defense,  it  certainly  was  not 
from  any  chivalrous  feeling  towards  an  unhappy  woman 
or  from  any  personal  preference  for  the  Napoleonic 
Dynasty.  He  knew  better  than  any  other  that,  even  after 
three-quarters  of  a  century,  the  Bonapartes  had  not  yet 
gained  a  footing  in  the  family  of  kings  and  that  no  one 
had  yet  forgiven  either  their  conquests  or  their  democratic 
spirit.  This  feeling  was  more  keen  and  more  lasting  with 
the  Hohenzollerns  than  with  any  others.  Had  not  the 
King  of  Prussia  at  the  beginning  of  the  struggle  declared 
that  he  was  not  making  war  upon  France  but  upon  her 
Government  ?  I  lay  all  the  more  stress  upon  that  declara- 
tion because  later  we  shall  find  Bismarck  making  an  abso- 
lutely opposite  statement.  Thus  the  Emperor  supposed 
the  King  of  Prussia  and  his  Minister  to  be  swayed  by  the 
following  two  purely  selfish  considerations:  firstly,  the 
danger  of  letting  loose  and  strengthening  the  revolu- 
tionary spirit,  which  from  France  might  spread  to  the 
whole  of  Europe,  as  it  did  in  1793,  in  1830,  and  in  1848; 
secondly,  the  impossibility  of  arranging  a  peace  with  an 
insurrectionary  government  which  had  no  regular  army  at 
its  disposal  to  carry  out  the  conditions  of  the  treaty  and 

enforce  order. 

197 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

To  test  the  real  motives  which  had  dominated  the 
Prussian  Government  when  it  had  favorably  received  an 
adventurer  who,  as  credentials,  had  brought  nothing  but 
the  signature  of  a  child  on  a  photograph,  the  Emperor  sent 
the  following  telegram  from  Wilhelmshohe  to  Versailles, 
of  which  to  my  great  regret  I  cannot  give  the  exact  date, 
but  for  the  authenticity  of  which  I  can  vouch: 

"According  to  news  reproduced  in  the  German  papers 
Marshal  Bazaine  is  still  able  to  hold  out  for  a  long  period 
in  Metz.  Nevertheless,  the  situation  must  end  by  his 
being  obliged  to  surrender  to  the  superior  forces  which 
surround  him. 

"In  our  view  the  interests  of  France,  if  rightly  under- 
stood, do  not  here  conflict  with  those  of  the  King  of 
Prussia.  Both  require  that  this  last  army  which  France 
possesses  should  not  be  destroyed  nor  made  prisoner. 

"In  the  first  place  the  Prussians  will  not  obtain  the 
surrender  of  these  troops  without  much  bloodshed,  and 
they  will  have,  after  peace  is  made,  to  repatriate  this  army, 
which  it  will  have  cost  them  so  dear  to  conquer. 

"In  the  second  place,  if  the  Prussian  armies  enter 
Paris  they  will  have  eventually  to  negotiate  a  peace,  and 
the  French  Government,  whatever  it  may  be,  which  will 
come  after  the  present  one,  will  be  obliged  to  act  with  the 
greatest  firmness  in  order  to  suppress  anarchy,  disarm  the 
populace  and  establish  some  permanent  settlement.  Now 
how  can  this  be  done  if  a  more  or  less  organized  force  is 
not  available?  Such  a  force  no  longer  exists  in  France 
outside  the  army  now  shut  up  in  Metz. 

"The  properly  understood  interest  of  the  King  of 
Prussia,  the  future  interest  of  reorganized  France,  both 
point  to  the  desirability  of  a  military  arrangement  between 

198 


Discussing  an   Armistice 

the  commander  of  the  army  of  the  King  of  Prussia  and 
Marshal  Bazaine. 

"If  an  armistice  were  signed  extending  until  the  final 
signature  of  peace,  the  French  army  in  Metz  would  not 
be  allowed  to  go  outside  a  certain  radius  from  the  fortress, 
but  it  could  be  re-victualed  and  it  could  send  back  the 
wounded  and  the  sick. 

"On  the  other  side,  the  Prussian  troops  would  have  to 
keep  at  a  certain  distance  from  Metz. 

"An  armistice  of  this  kind  which  would  diminish  the 
evils  of  war  would  be  honorable  and  profitable  to  all 
parties." 

The  Emperor  received  at  Wilhelmshohe  from  the 
Prussian  general  headquarters  at  Versailles  the  following 
answer: 

"When  peace  is  concluded  between  Germany  and 
France  the  first  care  of  the  French  general  will  be,  doubt- 
less, to  suppress  anarchy,  to  establish  a  permanent  settle- 
ment, and  in  order  to  do  this  it  is  necessary  that  he  should 
have  regular  and  disciplined  forces.  But  Germany,  on 
her  side,  must  make  it  her  first  object  to  secure  the  results 
of  a  war  which  is  not  yet  terminated.  In  granting  an  ar- 
mistice to  General  Bazaine  which  would  permit  him  to 
re-victual  and  to  evacuate  his  wounded,  Germany  would  be 
giving  up  the  military  advantages  that  she  expects  from 
the  fall  of  Metz.  To  justify  such  a  sacrifice  Germany 
must  obtain  before  she  consents  to  it  such  guarantees  of 
peace  as  will  assure  her  in  the  end  such  conditions  as  she 
considers  indispensable.  The  uncertainty  in  which  we  arc 
as  regards  the  intentions  of  the  marshal  and  the  compensa- 
tion which  he  proposes  to  offer  for  an  armistice,  from 
which  he  would  be  the  only  one  to  derive  any  advantage, 

199 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

does  not  permit  us  up  to  the  present  to  pronounce  on  the 
suitability  of  such  an  arrangement. 

"The  relations  which  M.  Regnier,  after  presenting 
himself  at  General  Headquarters  on  an  alleged  mission 
from  Hastings,  has  established  with  the  marshal  have  not 
come  to  anything  because  the  agent  has  not  been  furnished 
with  proper  powers  by  those  in  whose  interests  he  tried  to 
negotiate." 

All  this  was  very  clear,  and  the  favorable  dispositions 
of  the  Prussian  Government  could  not  be  mistaken.  But 
still  the  Empress  delayed.  Why  was  this?  Simply  be- 
cause, like  the  whole  of  France  and  a  large  part  of  Europe, 
she  allowed  herself  to  be  influenced  by  the  poetical  bul- 
letins which  the  Dictator  of  Tours  scattered  broadcast. 
She  believed  in  the  reality  of  the  Army  of  the  Loire;  she 
ardently  hoped  for  a  French  victory  which  would  have 
reduced  to  nothing  the  chances  of  a  restoration  of  the 
dynasty,  but  which  would  at  once  have  opened  up  the 
prospect  of  a  more  favorable  peace.  She  dreamt  of  a 
vast  sortie  of  the  Paris  garrison,  of  the  Army  of  Metz 
rallying  in  a  supreme  effort  and  attempting  a  break- 
through; or,  again,  of  unexpected  enemies  forming  up 
behind  the  Prussians  and  attacking  them  in  the  rear,  Italy 
led  by  Garibaldi,  Austria  urged  onwards  by  the  remem- 
brance of  Sadowa  and  drawing  to  her  banner  all  the 
Germans  of  the  South,  who  were  fighting  the  French,  it 
was  rumored,  very  unwillingly.  Such  were  the  chimerical 
possibilities  which  she  discust  feverishly  with  us  and 
with  all  those  who  came  to  see  her.  Those  who  would 
blame  her  for  entertaining  them  know  nothing  of  the 
mental  confusion,  the  anguish,  and  the  patriotic  madness 

of  that  time. 

200 


Negotiations    Proceed 


At  last  she  made  up  her  mind.  After  all,  it  was  merely 
a  question  of  learning  the  terms  offered  by  the  conqueror, 
or  of  suggesting  alternatives  designed  to  save  the  national 
pride  and  to  safeguard  the  future. 

Two  persons  were  sent  in  turn  to  the  German  head- 
quarters. The  first  of  these  envoys  was  an  officer  who  had 
close  relations  with  the  Imperial  Family.  What  he  did 
I  do  not  know.  He  concealed  everything  from  me  with 
the  greatest  care,  and  he  has  not  left  any  written  traces 
of  his  mission.  But,  from  some  words  that  escaped 
Bismarck  in  later  conversations,  I  think  that  by  reason  of 
his  narrow-mindedness  and  lack  of  political  ability  this 
envoy  had  injured  his  cause  instead  of  helping  it. 

The  second  negotiator,  M.  G.,  had  been  suggested  by 
M.  Rouher,  whose  confidence  he  both  merited  and  pos- 
sest.  He  was  level-headed  and  tactful  and  he  knew 
German  thoroughly.  During  the  time  that  his  mission 
lasted  at  Versailles,  M.  Leon  Chevreau,  who  took  up  his 
quarters  in  Ghent  (instead  of  in  Brussels,  which  was  a 
center  of  intrigue  and  where  it  was  difficult  to  escape  the 
spies  of  M.  Tachard),  held  himself  in  readiness  to  com- 
municate with  him  by  telegraph  and  to  serve  as  go-be- 
tween with  Chislehurst.  M.  G.,  who  was  delayed  by  a 
thousand  difficulties,  did  not  reach  Versailles  until  Sunday 
the  23d,  and  was  unable  to  see  Bismarck  until  Monday 
the  24th.  As  soon  as  the  first  words  were  exchanged  he 
perceived  that  he  was  too  late  and  that  his  interview  with 
the  Federal  Chancellor  would  not  and  could  not  have  any 
but  an  historical  and  (so  to  speak)  academic  interest.  It 
was  between  the  departure  of  M.  G.  from  Chislehurst  and 
his  audience  with  Bismarck  that  the  real  drama  had  been 
played  out.  My  account  of  it  will  take  the  form  of  a 
quotation  from  the  diary  of  one  of  the  principal  actors, 

201 


Recollections   of  the    Empress   Eugenie 

General  Boyer,  chief  of  the  staff  of  the  French  army  of  the 
Rhine.  I  have  not  changed  a  word  of  it,  and  I  have  even 
retained  some  notes  which  evidently  served  to  help  the 
general's  memory  but  which  remain  unintelligible  to  me.1 

"Left  Metz  Wednesday,  October  12,  at  ten  in  the 
morning.  Left  Ars  at  eleven  o'clock.  Was  kept  part  of 
the  night  in  front  of  Nanteuil-Saacy,  with  the  line  blocked 
by  transport. 

"Arrived  at  Nanteuil-Saacy  at  six  in  the  morning  of 
the  13th.  Left  by  carriage  at  midday.  Arrived  via  La 
Ferte-sous-Jouarre,  Meaux,  Lagny  and  Villeneuve  Saint- 
Georges  at  Versailles  at  five  in  the  morning,  Friday, 
October  14.  Stayed  with  M.  Dagnan,  48,  Rue  de  Satory. 
At  half-past  twelve  warned  that  M.  le  Comte  de  Bismarck 
awaited  me.  Admitted  to  see  the  count  at  one  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon. 

"  I  tell  him,  in  few  words,  the  object  of  my  visit.  When 
I  pronounced  the  name  of  M.  Regnier  the  count  looked 
questioningly  at  me,  interrupted  me  and  insisted  to  know 
if  it  was  always  thus  that  I  designated  him,  if  this  was  the 
only  name  by  which  he  was  known  to  me.  I  answered  that 
the  marshal  had  never  seen  him  or  heard  of  him  before. 

"The  count  then  began  to  speak,  and  told  me  that 
M.  Regnier  presented  himself  to  him  as  coming  from 
Hastings  and  had  shown  him  as  his  sole  credentials  a 
photograph,  on  the  back  of  which  was  the  signature  of  the 
Prince  Imperial;  that  he  had  then  explained  his  plan,  and 
asked  him  (Bismarck)  for  permission  to  go  and  sound  the 
marshal  in  the  cause  of  the  Regency,  or  decide  him  to  take 
sides  for  the  Regent,  since  it  was  in  the  interests  of  her 
Government  that  his  plan  was  conceived. 

1  Here  begins  the  verbatim  extract  from  General  Boyer's  diary  (Translator's  Note). 

202 


General   Boyer's   Diary 


"'That  man  appeared  to  me  sincere,'  said  the  count, 
and  it  is  certain  that  he  has  behaved  as  such.  He  had  not 
confided  his  project  to  those  at  Hastings,  where  he  is  in 
very  bad  odor  and  where  his  services  were  rejected.  He 
has  served  the  Empress,  and  it  seems  that,  nevertheless, 
he  has  incurred  her  displeasure  so  that  she  will  not  have 
anything  to  do  with  him. 

"The  count  then  told  me  all  his  conversation  with  this 
Regnier,  arriving  at  the  explanation  of  the  telegram  that 
he  had  sent  to  the  marshal,1  and  he  concluded  by  telling 
me  that  the  marshal's  answer  without  being  absolutely 
negative  proved  to  him  that  M.  Regnier  was  in  no  way 
deputed  to  negotiate  conditions,  and  he  had  therefore  been 
asked  to  leave  headquarters. 

"'I  had,  moreover,'  continued  the  count,  'dispatched 
this  telegram  to  the  marshal  chiefly  to  prove  to  M.  Regnier 
that  I  placed  little  reliance  on  his  conditions,  for  he  had 
declared  to  me  that  the  marshal  refused  to  discuss  any 
arrangement  which  included  the  town  of  Metz,  and  it  is 
Metz  that  we  want  above  all.' 

"The  count  stopt  and  I  spoke.  I  told  him  that  I 
came  on  the  part  of  the  marshal  to  resume  the  conversa- 
tions initiated  by  M.  Regnier;  that  the  marshal  had  waited 
a  long  time,  first  of  all  for  news,  then  for  the  return  of 
General  Bourbaki;  that  the  telegram  in  which  there  was  a 
question  of  the  surrender  of  the  army  outside  Metz  had 
greatly  disturbed  him,  and  in  order  to  put  an  end  to  all 
misinterpretation  and  to  prove  that  he  had  acted  and  was 
still  disposed  to  act  in  good  faith,  he  had  asked  to  be 
allowed  to  send  me  to  the  headquarters  of  the  King  to 
convey  the  explanations  which  I  was  now  giving. 

1  See  above,  p.  193,  for  the  approximate  contents  of  this  telegram. 
203 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"I  then  entered  on  the  subject  of  the  note  which  had 
been  sent  to  Prince  Frederick  Charles.  The  count  listened 
very  attentively.  Up  to  this  time  we  had  conversed  in  an 
office  close  to  a  room  where  there  were  a  number  of  clerks. 
He  rose  and  said  to  me,  *  There  are  here,  close  by,  people 
who  understand  French.  Walls,  as  they  say,  have  ears: 
let  us  go  into  the  garden;  we  shall  talk  more  freely,'  and 
lighting  his  cigar  he  led  the  way. 

"Objection  raised  by  the  refusal  to  hand  over  Metz. 
The  Emperor  alone  can  release  General  Coffinieres.1 

"Objection  raised  by  the  difficulty  of  holding  the  army 
under  control  once  outside  the  besiegers'  lines — may  be 
partly  met  by  causing  the  army  to  commit  itself  openly  in 
favor  of  the  Imperial  Regency. 

"'Note  very  carefully,'  continued  the  count,  'that  if 
you  cannot  control  the  army  your  personal  situation  will 
become  one  of  extreme  danger.  Your  life,  your  fortune 
and  your  country  are  at  stake,  and  you  are  risking  exile 
at  the  least.' 

"He  then  dwelt  on  the  sentiments  which  animated 
Prussia.  They  were  not  in  the  least  hostile  to  the  Imperial 
Dynasty,  nor  to  the  form  of  Government  which  had  main- 
tained order  during  twenty  years.  They  will  treat,  on  the 
contrary,  more  willingly  with  the  Regency  than  with  any 
other  Government,  because,  in  his  opinion,  it  is  the  form 
most  likely  to  assure  the  future. 

"'But  he  could  not  disguise  the  fact  that  it  was  France 
who  declared  war  on  Germany,  and  at  this  moment  it  is 
against  France  that  Germany  is  waging  war.  The  present 
situation  of  France  does  not  permit  of  treating  with  her 
Government  which  offers  no  prospect  of  stability,   and 

1  General  Coffinieres  commanded  the  town  of  Metz,  and  in  this  capacity  was  in- 
dependent of  Marshal  Bazaine  (Translator's  Note). 

204 


The   Army   of  Metz 


which  in  consequence  cannot  give  any  serious  guarantee 
of  a  lasting  peace.' 

"Bismarck  then  told  me  about  his  interview  with  the 
Emperor  after  the  capitulation  of  Sedan.  He  said  that 
he  sincerely  believed  that  the  Emperor  would  have  en- 
tered into  negotiations,  so  that  he  was  much  surprised 
when  His  Majesty  told  him  that,  being  a  prisoner,  he 
had  no  power  and  that  the  Regent  was  the  only  person 
who  could  treat  for  peace,  'and  from  that  moment,' 
added  the  count,  'I  was  so  thoroughly  convinced  that  it 
was  in  the  interest  of  the  Regency  to  open  negotiations 
for  peace,  that  I  at  once  welcomed  the  overtures  of  M. 
Regnier,  believing  that  he  came  in  the  name  of  the  Re- 
gent, even  though  it  was  then  rather  late  in  the  day. 

"'You  now  bring  before  me  the  views  and  the  wishes 
of  Marshal  Bazaine.  Assuredly  the  Army  of  Metz  is  the 
only  one  that  remains  to  France.  The  Army  of  the  Loire, 
composed  of  volunteers,  of  Gardes  Mobiles,  and  of  the 
last  regiments  that  could  be  withdrawn  from  Algeria,  has 
just  been  annihilated  at  Arthenay  and  at  Orleans.  It  may 
have  contained  twenty-five  thousand  regular  troops.  You 
have  no  other  army,  nothing  that  can  come  to  the  rescue 
of  Paris.  Paris  is,  moreover,  in  such  a  position  that 
famine  alone  will  probably  suffice  to  reduce  it.  One  does 
not  bombard  a  city  like  Paris.  All  the  same,  it  might  be 
necessary  when  the  time  comes  to  proceed  to  this  last 
extremity.'  Here  the  count  gave  me  some  details  of  the 
price  of  horse-flesh  at  Paris.  He  entered  at  the  same  time 
into  some  reflections  on  the  savage  character  (outside  the 
customs  of  civilized  nations)  which  the  francs  tireurs  had 
given  to  the  war! 

"'We  shall  be  merciless  to  these  gentry,'  he  said,  'and 

we  shall  kill  them  all.' 

205 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"Returning  to  the  subject  of  allowing  the  French  army 
to  leave  Metz,  the  count  told  me  that  he  must  concern 
himself  not  only  with  the  possibility  of  maintaining  the 
army  in  its  allegiance,  but  also  with  the  question  of  the 
eventual  peace  treaty.  For,  in  order  to  run  no  risk  that, 
when  we  have  recovered  a  certain  liberty  of  action,  the 
peace  negotiations  may  break  down,  it  will  be  necessary 
for  him  to  have  assurances  that  his  conditions  will  be 
accepted,  however  exorbitant  they  may  appear. 

"Therefore,  some  one  must  go  to  Hastings  or  to  Cassel 
so  that  the  two  negotiations  can  be  conducted  on  parallel 
lines.  It  seems  better  that  the  question  should  be  settled 
at  Hastings,  because  treating  thus  in  a  neutral  country  the 
Empress  will  not  appear  to  be  submitting  to  the  pressure 
of  the  foreigner.  'Go,  then,  to  Hastings,  general,'  he  said, 
'and  obtain  from  the  Empress  the  order  for  General 
Coffinieres  to  deliver  up  Metz  since  Marshal  Bazaine  has 
not  the  power  to  do  it.  That  will  be  already  some  guar- 
antee for  us.' 

"He  then  said  that  it  was  regrettable  that  the  fleet 
had  not  shown  itself  favorable  to  the  restoration  of  the 
Regency,  for  as  the  North  and  the  commercial  towns  like 
Rouen  longed  for  order  and  feared  the  Republic,  it  would 
have  been  easy  with  the  assistance  of  the  fleet  to  make 
Le  Havre  (which,  though  showing  signs  of  restlessness, 
nevertheless  wished,  on  the  whole,  for  order  and  the  main- 
tenance of  public  prosperity)  the  pivot  of  this  restoration. 

"Here  the  count  added  as  a  parenthesis: 

"'It  is  essential  that  France  should  settle  for  herself 

the  form  of  her  Government.    We  shall  not  repeat  the 

error  of  1815  by  imposing  one  upon  her.    And  we  can  see 

that  the  present  Republican  Government  is  not  acting  in 

good  faith.    It  has  twice  attempted  an  appeal  to  the  elec- 

206 


The   French   Situation 


tors,  on  October  2  and  again  on  October  16,  but  it  keeps  on 
putting  it  off  because  it  knows  very  well  that  the  elections 
will  go  against  it.  The  conservative  element,  which  is  the 
strongest  in  France,  does  not  want  this  Republic  and  its 
terrorism.  Be  assured  that,  if  a  plebiscite  were  taken 
to-day  the  Emperor  would  still  have  a  big  majority.' 

"I  interrupted  the  count  to  say  that  if  he  did  indeed 
think  thus,  and  if  he  was  convinced  that  Marshal  Ba- 
zaine's  army  was  the  only  one  that  remained  in  France,  it 
was  only  logical  and  it  was  in  his  own  interest,  as  well  as  in 
ours,  to  set  this  army  free  as  quickly  as  possible  and  in 
such  conditions  as  to  leave  to  it  the  moral  authority  neces- 
sary for  the  work  which  it  proposed  to  accomplish.  He 
kept  on  making  the  same  objection,  though  I  assured  him 
that  one  could  rely  on  the  army,  or  at  least  on  the  greater 
majority  of  it:  there  might  be  partial  desertions  perhaps, 
but  only  solitary  instances. 

"Pursuing  his  argument,  the  count  laid  before  me  the 
present  state  of  France:  Paris  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Republicans,  Lyons  was  dominated  by  the  extremists  who 
kept  the  red  flag  hoisted  there;  the  North  was  longing  to 
see  tranquillity  reestablished  and  had  asked  that  German 
troops  should  be  sent  to  maintain  order;  the  West  was  in 
the  hands  of  the  clergy,  who  stirred  up  the  memories  of 
Charette  and  Stofflet  to  urge  the  populace  to  repulse 
Protestant  invaders  who  had  come  to  annihilate  Catholi- 
cism; the  South  had  not  yet  declared  itself  definitely,  except 
at  Marseilles,  where  the  Commune  had  taken  the  reins  of 
Government.  Of  the  state  of  Europe  and  of  its  attitude 
the  count  said  not  a  word.  This  Republic  of  Paris  and  of 
Lyons  had  discouraged  even  the  Americans  who  had  sent 
a  deputation  to  talk  over  matters  with  the  Republican 
Government  and  to  endeavor  to  mediate. 

207 


Recollections   of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

'"I  saw  these  gentlemen,'  proceeded  the  count,  'who 
went  away  saying  to  me  that  one  could  do  nothing  with 
such  people;  that  they  were  madmen  who  did  not  even 
know  the  meaning  of  a  Republican  State.  There  is  only 
one  man  among  them  who  is  sincere  and  a  true  Republican, 
and  he  is  General  Trochu.' 

"I  protested  that  the  conversion  of  General  Trochu  to 
Republican  ideas  dated  only  from  the  day  when  the 
Imperial  Government  had  refused  to  accept  his  personal 
theories  and  when  his  ambitions  had  been  disappointed. 

"'In  any  case,'  replied  the  count,  'the  Emperor  had 
singularly  misplaced  his  confidence  when  he  gave  Trochu 
the  mission  of  protecting  the  Empress,  the  Regency,  and 
the  Executive.  He  has  betrayed  that  confidence,  for  he 
had  the  means  of  defending  the  Assembly.' 

'"But  is  it,  then,  a  fact,'  I  asked  him,  'that  the  elec- 
tions are  not  to  take  place  on  the  16th?'  'There  is  a  dis- 
agreement,' replied  the  count,  'between  Paris  and  Tours. 
Cremieux  wants  the  elections  to  take  place,  Paris  does  not. 
Gambetta  even  went  off  in  a  balloon  to  see  his  colleague 
and  try  to  convince  him.  He  came  down  at  Amiens  and 
reached  Tours  by  the  West.' 

"I  thanked  Bismarck  for  all  this  information,  so  valu- 
able to  us,  and  I  told  him  that  I  wished  to  make  haste  to 
return  to  Metz  and  to  report  to  the  marshal  and  receive 
his  orders.  'You  understand,'  said  the  count,  'that  our 
conversation  must  be  the  subject  of  a  conference  between 
the  King  and  myself.  His  Majesty  will  doubtless  wish 
to  consult  Marshal  Moltke  and  the  Minister  of  War.  To- 
morrow you  will  receive  the  King's  answer  and  then  you 
can  go.'  I  then  begged  him  to  send  a  telegram  to  Prince 
Frederick  Charles  requesting  His  Royal  Highness  to  in- 
form the  marshal  that  I  had  only  arrived  at  Versailles  that 

208 


Bismarck's   Conditions 


morning;  that  I  had  had  the  honor  of  being  received,  etc. 
.  .  .  He  promised  me  to  do  so,  then  handed  me  some 
newspapers  to  give  me  information  of  the  situation  and 
took  leave  of  me.    It  was  then  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 

"Towards  six  o'clock  I  was  informed  that  the  King  was 
about  to  hold  a  council  that  day  with  General  Count  von 
Moltke  and  the  Minister  of  War. 

"(Observation  of  Count  Bismarck  relative  to  the  pro- 
longation of  the  war:  'The  war  cannot  last  for  ever,  but, 
if  necessary,  we  are  ready  to  take  up  winter  quarters, 
although  we  had  rather  not.  We  should  much  prefer  to 
return  to  our  homes  which,  indeed,  we  have  not  left 
willingly.') 

"On  the  15th  at  two  o'clock  Count  Bismarck,  who  had 
notified  me  of  his  coming  an  hour  before,  came  to  see  me  in 
the  lodging  which  had  been  assigned  me  and  informed  me 
of  the  resolution  which  had  been  taken  at  the  council.  He 
told  me  that  the  generals  had,  as  he  had  anticipated,  spon- 
taneously declared  that  they  must  insist  upon  a  capitula- 
tion in  the  same  terms  of  that  of  Sedan,  in  accordance  with 
military  requirements.  He  had  then  spoken  and  pointed 
out  to  the  King  that,  without  prejudice  to  military  require- 
ments, it  was  necessary  to  take  into  account  political  and 
diplomatic  interests  in  the  question  then  before  them. 

"It  was  then  agreed  that  all  question  of  capitulation 
should  be  put  on  one  side  for  the  moment,  and  that  the 
object  to  be  aimed  at  should  be  to  obtain  the  assurance 
that  the  Army  of  Metz  would  remain  faithful  to  its  oath 
and  constitute  itself  the  champion  of  the  Imperial  dynasty. 
The  marshal  must  make  a  solemn  declaration,  or  take 
some  open  step,  by  which  he  would  make  this  well  under- 
stood in  order  that  the  country  should  know  that  it  could 
rely  on  his  support  if  it  wished  to  rally  around  the  Regent. 

209 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

In  this  way  the  army  would  commit  itself  to  a  position 
which  compromised  it  with  the  Republicans,  and  Bis- 
marck would  then  see  the  effect  produced  in  France  by  this 
declaration.  To  this  must  be  joined  a  manifesto  by  the 
Empress,  who,  being  then  sure  of  receiving  support  from 
the  Army  of  Metz,  would  appeal  to  the  nation,  claim  her 
rights,  and  ask  the  French  people  to  confirm  them  once 
more  by  a  vote. 

"Then  only  could  one  treat  with  any  chance  of  suc- 
cessfully carrying  out  a  plan  which  would  lead  to  a  general 
peace  and  which  would  stop  further  bloodshed;  whereas, 
under  present  conditions,  everything  was  highly  doubtful. 
(Interview  with  Jules  Favre,  the  comedy  he  played,  his 
bad  faith  concerning  Soissons  and  Mont-Valerien.  The 
incidents  of  Strasbourg  and  of  Toul.)  The  count  returned 
to  the  opinion  of  the  American  generals.  'They  have 
gone  off  exasperated,  saying  that  they  had  the  impression 
of  having  been  through  a  lunatic  asylum  for  monkeys.' 

"Re  telegram  from  Count  Bernstorff  stating  the  Em- 
press's regret  for  her  cold  reception  of  General  Bour- 
baki:  the  Emperor  having  remonstrated  with  her  sharply 
on  this  subject,  saying  he  had  now  no  one  on  whom  to 
rely  except  Bazaine,  who  had  remained  faithful,  the 
Empress  had  replied  that  she  was  ready  to  give  the 
marshal  all  powers  for  negotiation,  and  even  to  abdicate 
the  Regency  of  the  Empire  in  his  favor. 

"'Oh,'  I  said,  'the  marshal  would  never  accept  such 
an  arrangement.'  'I  should  certainly  never  counsel  him 
to  do  so,'  said  Count  Bismarck,  'if  he  asked  my  advice. 
It  would  only  complicate  matters  and  divide  opinions  still 
further.' 

"Re  letters  from  M.  le  Baron  Gudin  and  M.  de  Laval- 
ette  remained  unanswered:  M.  Thiers  asked  to  come;  they 

210 


General    Boyer   at   Chislehurst 

let  him  come.  He  is  at  Florence,  returning  from  Vienna 
after  his  excursion  to  Saint  Petersburg,  where  he  had  been 
dismissed  by  the  Emperor  of  Russia  with  these  words: 
'  If  Austria  takes  any  part  in  the  quarrel  I  will  declare  war 
on  her  immediately.'  M.  Thiers  would  be  in  Florence  to 
treat  on  the  question  of  Nice,  in  which  Bismarck  does  not 
wish  to  meddle,  the  question  of  Rome  and  of  Italy  is  not 
his  affair. 

"Re  letter  from  the  Comte  de  Chambord  unanswered."1 

The  general  returned  to  Metz  with  all  the  haste  pos- 
sible under  the  circumstances. 

The  19th  was  taken  up  with  meetings  between  the 
marshal  and  his  principal  officers,  to  whom  General  Boyer 
made  a  detailed  report  of  all  that  he  had  seen  and  heard 
at  Versailles.  Then — with  a  Prussian  safe  conduct — he 
crossed  the  lines  of  Prince  Frederick  Charles's  army, 
bound  for  Chislehurst,  which  he  reached  on  the  21st,  and 
where  his  arrival  created  a  profound  impression  upon  us. 

The  manners  of  General  Boyer  were  grave  and  un- 
assuming. His  face  just  then  was  pale  and  haggard  with 
hardship  and  suffering,  and  he  looked  like  the  ghost  of 
that  noble  army  of  which  he  had  been  one  of  the  leaders 
and  whose  fate  he  mourned.  Seeing  him  thus  our  hearts 
bled.  One  single  thought  took  possession  of  the  Empress, 
as  it  did  of  all  of  us;  that  one  must  make  the  very  greatest 
sacrifices  to  save  that  unhappy  army  if  there  was  still 
time.  For  some  moments  that  one  thought  blotted  out 
every  other  consideration. 

The  general  brought  two  letters  which  left  no  doubt 
as  to  the  authenticity  of  his  mission,  or  as  to  the  feelings 
of  the  heads  of  the  army. 

1  Here  ends  the  extract  from  General  Boyer's  diary  (Translator's  Note). 

211 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

The  first,  signed  by  the  marshal,  ran  thus : 

Metz,  October  19,  1870. 
"Madame, — It  is  now  some  time  since  I  sent  General 
Bourbaki  to  Your  Majesty.  Not  having  received  any 
reply,  I  send  to-day  General  Boyer,  my  aide-de-camp,  to 
assure  Her  of  our  loyalty.  Your  Majesty  will  give  him 
her  gracious  orders  and  can  have  all  confidence  in  him. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  be  with  the  most  profound 
respect, 

"Your  Majesty's  very  devoted  servant, 

"(Signed)  Marshal  Bazaine." 

The  second  letter  came  from  General  Frossard,  gover- 
nor of  the  Prince  Imperial  and  commander  of  one  of 
the  army  corps  before  Metz. 

This  is  the  text: 

"Madame, — Since  our  misfortunes,  I  have  not  had  the 
honor  to  write  to  Your  Majesty  to  express  to  Her  my 
devotion  and  my  hopes  for  the  future.  The  strict  blockade 
that  holds  us  in  Metz  and  which  up  to  the  present  it  has 
not  been  possible  to  break,  has  prevented  all  outside 
communication. 

"The  army  of  Marshal  Bazaine  has  kept  its  organiza- 
tion, its  spirit,  its  discipline  and  a  great  part  of  its  strength. 
It  is,  as  well  as  its  chief  and  those  who  command  under  his 
orders,  entirely  devoted  to  the  Emperor,  to  Your  Majesty, 
and  to  her  august  son.  It  is  still  the  Imperial  Army, 
and  we  can  answer  for  it.  Your  Majesty  knows  the  situa- 
tion better  than  we  do,  who  have  only  learnt  a  few  details 
from  General  Boyer,  returned  yesterday  from  Versailles. 

"The  Empress  already  knows,  and  this  general  officer 

will  tell  her  again  that  the  King  of  Prussia  cannot  and 

will  not  enter  into  negotiations  for  peace  except  with  the 

212 


General    Frossard's    Letter 


Imperial  Government  as  represented  by  the  Regent  and 
backed  up  by  the  Army  of  Metz.  For  this  it  is  necessary 
that  this  army  shall  be  released  from  the  blockade  by  a 
military  arrangement  which  shall  allow  it  to  retain  its 
unimpaired  organization,  its  arms,  its  powers  of  action  and 
its  freedom  of  movement,  under  the  sole  condition  of  not 
taking  any  further  part  in  the  struggle. 

"It  would  not  then  act  except  to  support  the  Govern- 
ment which  no  one  had  the  right  to  overthrow,  and  to 
maintain  that  social  order  which  is  so  menaced  in  the  midst 
of  the  internal  dissensions  to  which  our  poor  country  is  a 
prey.  Your  Majesty  also  knows  that  M.  de  Bismarck 
demands  that  the  Government  of  the  Regent  should 
publicly  assert  itself  and  give  a  guarantee  of  its  good 
faith,  thus  showing  itself  ready  and  willing  to  treat  for 
peace. 

"Our  enemy  demands  as  well  that  the  main  conditions 
of  the  treaty  be  accepted  by  the  Regency  before  the 
Imperial  Army  leaves  Metz — that  is  one  of  his  essential 
stipulations. 

"I  do  not  know  if  he  will  persist  in  this  demand,  but 
if  Your  Majesty  will  permit  me  to  say  so,  it  is  very  im- 
portant that  She  should  put  herself,  as  Regent,  in  touch 
with  the  Prussian  Government. 

"  I  do  not  know  either  what  all  the  conditions  of  peace 
may  be,  but  if  they  are  not  completely  unacceptable  I 
think  (with  all  the  chiefs  of  our  army)  that  Your  Majesty 
will  do  well  to  agree  to  them  in  order  to  save  the  country, 
which  the  prolongation  of  the  present  state  of  things  is 
destroying  utterly. 

"It  is  only  the  Imperial  Government,  believe  me, 
Madame,  which  can  undertake  this  task  and  assume  this 
responsibility.     Such   action   cannot   injure  it,   for  it   is 

213 


Recollections   of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

universally  admitted  to-day  that  France  cannot  avoid  the 
cruel  consequences  that  one  sees  ahead,  and  it  is  in  the 
power  of  no  one  to  take  the  cup  of  bitterness  from  her. 

"Will  Your  Majesty  permit  me  to  implore  Her  to 
listen  to  General  Boyer,  now  sent  by  the  marshal,  and  to 
believe  his  words  which  reflect  the  feelings  of  us  all. 

"I  entreat  Your  Majesty  to  believe  me  to  be  her  most 
faithful,  most  devoted  and  most  respectful  servant, 

"(Signed)  Charles  Frossard." 

The  Empress  read  these  two  letters  and  conferred  with 
General  Boyer,  who  thought  it  his  duty  not  to  com- 
municate to  her  as  yet  all  that  he  knew  of  the  Prussian 
demands. 

The  same  day  he  sent  a  telegram  to  Bismarck,  through 
Count  Bernstorff.  I  cannot  give  the  exact  terms  of  this 
telegram,  but  I  can  vouch  for  the  gist  of  it. 

General  Boyer  informed  the  Federal  Chancellor  that 
he  had  seen  the  Empress.  She  demanded  the  revic- 
tualing  of  the  army  for  fifteen  days,  and  she  asked  to 
be  informed  as  to  the  basis  of  the  preliminaries  of  peace. 
A  direct  message  from  the  Empress  to  King  William 
followed  and  confirmed  the  telegram  sent  by  General 
Boyer.    The  message  from  the  Empress  ran  thus: 

"Sire, — Your  Majesty  has  in  your  hands  the  telegram 
from  Count  von  Bernstorff  to  Count  von  Bismarck.  I  beg 
Your  Majesty  to  be  favorable  to  my  request.  Its  accept- 
ance is  an  indispensable  condition  if  negotiations  are  to 
proceed.  "(Signed)  Eugenie." 

Bismarck  sent  the  following  reply  to  General  Boyer's 

telegram: 

214 


>v  ** 


i 

*•  -f 

■S. 

| 

o 

■  •*'      -4 

'<■ 

30 

* 

| 

X 

* 

■~~ 

z 


7T*p*i 


An    Essential   Stipulation 


"Versailles,  11.30  a.  m.,  October.1 
"To  be  able  to  reply  I  must  take  the  King's  orders. 
I  can  say  beforehand  that  the  re-victualing  is,  militarily, 
inadmissible.    I  refer  the  matter  to  General  Boyer's  own 
judgment.  "(Signed)   Bismarck.' 


>j 


Then  a  second  telegram  came  which  enlightened  the 
Empress  as  to  the  real  thoughts  of  the  King  of  Prussia 
and  of  his  councilors: 

"The  questions  put  yesterday  give  neither  to  the 
Empress  nor  to  ourselves  assurances  of  any  guarantees  for 
peace.  The  army  of  Bazaine  has  not  made  its  pronuncia- 
miento,2  and  we  should  have  to  obtain  by  force  of  arms 
(and  probably  against  the  resistance  of  the  army  of 
Bazaine)  the  execution  of  the  treaty. 

"The  King  will  not  treat  except  under  the  conditions 
that  I  have  made  known  to  General  Boyer  and  of  which 
none  have  been  fulfilled.  "  (Signed)  Bismarck." 

It  was  then  that  General  Boyer  revealed  to  the  Empress 
the  conditions: 

1.  Public  demonstration  by  the  French  Army  in  favor 

of  the  Imperial  Dynasty. 

2.  Proclamation  of  the  Empress  to  the  French  people  and 

her  departure  for  France  with  an  undertaking  to  sign 
the  preliminaries  of  peace,  however  exorbitant  they 
might  appear,  such  preliminaries  to  be  made  known 
only  in  France  and  to  be  kept  secret. 

3.  The  convening  of  the  Chambers. 

1  Date  blank  (Translator's  Note). 

*  A  Spanish  word  signifying  a  political  proclamation  by  a  military  commander. 
He  refers  here  to  the  public  demonstration  on  the  part  of  this  army,  asked  for  in  his 
interview  with  General  Boyer  (Translator's  Note). 

215 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Bismarck  was  strangely  mistaken  if  he  believed  that 
the  Empress  would  let  herself  be  tempted  by  a  pronuncia- 
miento;  she  remembered  far  too  well  how  these  military 
coups  (TEtat  had  led  to,  and  achieved,  the  downfall  of  her 
native  country  to  attempt  to  acclimatize  in  France  these 
disastrous  political  ways.  Undoubtedly  she  firmly  be- 
lieved, and  in  this  belief  I  agreed,  and  still  agree,  with 
her,  that  not  only  was  the  marshal,  commander-in-chief 
of  the  army  of  the  Rhine,  justified  in  considering  himself 
as  being  still  the  subject  of  the  Emperor,  in  whose  name 
he  held  his  command,  but  that  he  was  absolutely  bound,  in 
honor  and  conscience,  to  do  so  as  long  as  the  Sovereign 
himself  or  a  national  plebiscite  had  not  relieved  him  from 
his  oath. 

The  first  effect  of  revolutions  is  to  overthrow  people's 
notions  of  political  morality  and  of  legality.  They  make 
treason  of  loyalty  and  heroism  of  treason.  They  place 
a  Trochu  in  a  palace  and  drag  a  Bazaine  to  a  dungeon. 
No  one  could  ask  the  Empress  to  accept  such  reasoning 
on  the  morrow  of  the  Fourth  of  September. 

But  if  she  had  no  scruple  in  accepting  the  devotion 
of  the  marshal  and  of  his  army,  she  did  so  only  on  con- 
dition that  such  devotion  was  inspired  exclusively  by 
the  spirit  of  discipline  and  by  respect  for  authority  based 
upon  universal  suffrage.  She  did  not  admit  that  soldiers 
should  be  called  upon  to  take  sides  for  or  against  their 
commanders;  still  less  did  she  admit  that  they  should 
divide  into  opposing  factions  and  begin  a  civil  war  among 
themselves  even  before  they  had  finished  the  war  against 
the  foreigner.  Only  an  enemy  could  have  given  such 
counsel. 

She  read  clearly  in  each  line  and  between  each  line  of 
Bismarck's  his  intention  and  his  hope  to  divide  our  forces. 

216 


Bismarckian   Lies 


She  was  even  more  convinced  when  General  Boyer,  having 
now  no  reason  for  silence,  or  for  reserve,  placed  before  her 
eyes  the  notes  that  he  had  made  after  his  two  interviews 
with  the  Chancellor,  with  which  the  reader  is  already 
familiar.  Bismarck,  taking  his  own  desires  for  realities 
and  the  suggestions  of  hatred  for  accomplished  facts,  had 
represented  to  General  Boyer  the  feelings  of  France  in  the 
falsest  light. 

We  had  no  difficulty  in  proving  to  the  general  that  the 
information  given  by  Bismarck  was  a  tissue  of  lies.  No;  it 
was  not  true  that  different  parties  and  different  districts  in 
France  thought  differently.  No;  Paris  was  not  starving; 
the  Army  of  the  Loire  was  not  a.  myth.  There  were  no 
emigres,1  in  the  country  or  out  of  it.  From  one  end  of 
France  to  the  other  Royalists  and  Imperialists  had  united 
to  defend  their  country  and  had  provisionally  accepted 
the  Government  which  had  imposed  itself  by  a  sudden 
stroke,  but  which  did  not  represent  a  tenth  of  the  electors. 
Nor  did  that  Government  itself,  tainted  and  irregular 
though  it  was,  consist  of  a  collection  of  maniacs  and  brig- 
ands, as  Bismarck  would  have  made  Boyer  believe, 
though  he  did  not  himself  believe  a  word  of  his  own  state- 
ment, since  he  had  been  in  negotiation  with  Jules  Favre, 
and  was  at  that  very  moment  negotiating  with  M.  Thiers. 
The  double  dealing  and  deceitfulness  of  our  enemy  were 
therefore  manifest. 

But  where  this  Prussian  machination  became  absolutely 
odious,  where  it  took  on  a  character  of  cruelty  hitherto  un- 
known in  history,  was  in  the  attempt  to  make  the  Empress 
agree  to  terms  of  peace  without  letting  her  know  what  they 
were. 

1  The  imigrts  were  those  Royalists  who  went  abroad,  or  aided  the  foreigner,  after  1793 
(Translator's  Note). 

217 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

On  this  point  Bismarck  had  miscalculated  even  more 
than  over  the  question  of  the  pronunciamiento.  He  imag- 
ined he  had  to  deal  with  a  vain  woman  who  would  be 
ready  to  do  anything  for  the  sake  of  recovering  the  crown, 
which  had  been  the  ornament  of  her  pretty  head.  Far 
from  falling  into  this  trap,  the  Empress  burst  out  into 
splendid  and  flaming  anger. 

"A  blank  order!  ...  I  must  give  him  a  blank  order, 
truly!    Why,  it  is  our  honor  they  are  asking  for!" 

She  had  bitter  words  for  the  generals  in  Metz,  who, 
in  order  to  avoid  a  capitulation,  had  added  their  in- 
sistence to  the  injunctions  of  the  enemy.  General  Boyer 
hung  his  head  without  saying  a  word,  but  his  humble 
silence  was  eloquent.  It  recalled  to  the  Empress  all  that 
those  hundred  thousand  brave  men  had  suffered,  who  to- 
day were  dying  of  hunger  and  who  to-morrow  would  give 
up  their  arms  and  be  scattered  amongst  the  German 
fortresses. 

Those  days  were  terrible,  and  I  venture  to  say  that  this 
was  the  supreme  and  agonizing  crisis  of  her  life.  On  the 
Fourth  of  September  her  duty  was  plain;  this  time  she 
debated  in  an  agony  of  doubt  and  anxiety,  at  one  time 
deciding  to  break  off  all  negotiations,  at  another  brought 
back  by  her  own  thoughts,  or  by  a  word  from  one  of  her 
counselors,  to  the  idea  that  Prussia  was  perhaps  sincere 
in  her  declared  intention  not  to  treat  with  the  Republican 
Government  because  it  had  no  guarantees  to  offer,  or  any 
organized  force  by  which  to  maintain  order  and  enforce 
the  acceptance  of  peace. 

To  hold  back — was  it  not  to  give  up  France  to  the  last 
horrors  of  dismemberment  and  anarchy? 

She  decided  to  make  a  supreme  effort,  and  wrote  to 

Bernstorff: 

218 


Too    Late ! 

"Monsieur  le  Comte, — 

"Time  is  so  precious  and  the  go-betweens  make 
us  lose  so  much  that  I  should  like  to  speak  personally  with 
you.  Lady  Cowley  has  kindly  put  her  house  in  London 
— 20  Albemarle  Street — at  my  disposal.  If  you  can  come 
there,  you  can  do  so  unobserved. 
"Believe  in  my  best  regards. 

"  (Signed)  Eugenie." 

This  interview  actually  took  place.  Count  Bernstorff 
declared  that  he  knew  the  terms  of  peace  as  laid  down  by 
the  King  of  Prussia,  but  he  refused  to  communicate  them 
to  the  Empress  without  being  authorized  to  do  so  by  his 
Sovereign. 

The  Empress  could  do  nothing  more  except  wait  for 
the  final  answer  which  the  King  of  Prussia  might  make  to 
the  message  transmitted  to  him  by  Count  Bernstorff,  as 
well  as  to  the  letter  of  which  M.  G.  was  the  bearer.  It 
was,  in  fact,  at  this  moment  that  M.  G.  was  being  re- 
ceived by  Bismarck  at  Versailles.  The  Chancellor  told 
him  the  facts  of  Boyer's  mission  and  its  negative  results. 

Again  our  enemy  attributed  the  failure  of  the  negotia- 
tions to  the  non-compliance  with  the  preliminary  condi- 
tions insisted  upon  by  Prussia.  After  Sedan  the  Imperial 
Government  could  have  purchased  peace  at  the  price  of  a 
trifling  portion  of  territory;  there  was  still  time,  when  M. 
Regnier  had  come  to  Ferrieres,  and  an  arrangement  was 
still  possible  when  General  Boyer  had  appeared  at  Ver- 
sailles, if  matters  had  been  expedited;  but  during  the  past 
eight  days  events  had  moved  quickly.  The  fall  of  Metz 
was  imminent  and  that  of  Paris  was  not  in  doubt  in  the 
minds  of  the  German  Staff.  And  the  Chancellor  con- 
cluded: "It  is  too  late!" 

219 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Nevertheless,  he  did  not  refuse  to  listen  to  the  pro- 
posals which  M.  G.  had  been  ordered  to  submit  to  him, 
and  I  reproduce  here  all  that  part  of  their  conversation 
because  the  answers  of  the  Chancellor  show  exactly  what 
were  already  at  this  date  the  demands  of  the  conquerors. 

The  conditions  offered  by  the  Empress,  which  Bis- 
marck declared  he  knew  already — how  and  by  what  means 
I  can  explain  neither  to  the  reader  nor  to  myself — were  the 
following: 

The  dismantling  of  Strasbourg;  the  establishment  of 
that  city  as  a  free  town,  with  a  territory  to  be  determined 
later;  pecuniary  indemnity;  the  cession  of  Cochin  China. 

"These  conditions,1  so  far  as  they  concerned  Alsace, 
did  not  appear  sufficient  to  M.  de  Bismarck;  they  would 
enable  France  to  take,  at  some  future  time,  the  offensive 
against  Germany,  of  which  the  military  organization,  said 
M.  de  Bismarck,  was  purely  defensive. 

"I  proposed  to  M.  de  Bismarck,  but  subject  to  refer- 
ence to  my  principal,  an  arrangement  by  which  Alsace 
should  be  constituted  a  neutral  State. 

"I  endeavored  to  represent  to  the  count  that  among 
the  people  of  Alsace  the  municipal  and  local  spirit  was 
strongly  developed,  and  that  under  an  autonomous  regime 
they  would  rapidly  develop  independent  habits  and  senti- 
ments which  would  effectually  prevent  any  fresh  collision 
between  Germany  and  France. 

"Count  Bismarck  did  not  believe  that  such  was  the 
spirit  of  the  people  of  Alsace,  and  he  appeared  persuaded 
that  a  State  constituted  in  that  way  would  form  an  out- 
post for  France  against  Germany,  and  that  no  kind  of 
Government  would  be  strong  enough  to  secure  or  maintain 
its  neutrality. 

1  Quotation  from  the  report  of  M.  G.  (Translator's  Note). 
2  20 


Annexation   of  Alsace- Lorraine 

"In  the  solution  which  Count  Bismarck  wished  to  see 
adopted  in  the  case  of  Alsace — a  solution  he  considers  to- 
day as  entirely  in  the  hands  of  Germany  and  outside  the 
scope  of  international  transactions — that  province,  with- 
out conscription,  without  deputies  in  the  Reichstag,  would 
retain  in  part  its  present  organization  and  would  be  occu- 
pied by  German  troops. 

"It  would  no  longer  be  a  neutral  Alsace,  but  a  purely 
Germanic  one.  An  analogous  arrangement  would  be  ap- 
plied to  that  portion  of  territory  comprising  Metz  and 
the  places  connected  with  the  defense  of  that  fortress. 
Bismarck  affirmed  that  these  losses  would  not  sensibly 
diminish  the  French  possessions  if  one  took  account  of  the 
territorial  expansions  which  had  taken  place  during  the 
Empire. 

"As  to  Cochin  China,  M.  de  Bismarck  said  Germany 
was  not  rich  enough  to  burden  herself  with  this  colony! 

"After  having  delivered  himself  of  this  epigram,  which 
was  not  perhaps  altogether  unmerited,  at  the  expense  of 
our  colonial  system,  the  Chancellor  concluded  by  saying 
that  in  view  of  the  continually  increasing  successes  of  the 
German  Army,  the  King  could  not  accept  the  conditions 
offered  by  the  Empress  without  provoking  the  utmost  dis- 
content amongst  his  subjects  of  all  classes. 

"M.  de  Bismarck  appears  to  be  haunted  by  the  idea 
that,  the  moment  peace  is  signed,  France  will  think  of 
nothing  but  revenge,  and  will  make  it  necessary  for  Ger- 
many to  remain  under  arms  for  perhaps  fifteen  or  twenty 
years.  It  is  to  guard  against  this  danger  that  Germany 
wishes  to  have  guarantees  in  her  own  hands,  and  cannot  be 
content  with  promises  which  she  recognizes  as  sincere,  but 
which  she  fears  may  be  impossible  of  realization."1 

1  This  concludes  the  quotation  from  M.  G.'s  report  (Translator's  Note). 

221 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

In  presence  of  this  attitude,  which  it  seemed  impossible 
to  modify,  the  envoy  of  the  Empress  had  no  choice  but  to 
withdraw,  after  leaving  in  the  hands  of  Bismarck  the  letter 
of  his  Sovereign  to  the  King  of  Prussia. 

It  had  been  agreed  that  the  Chancellor  would  let  him 
know  if  that  letter  "required  further  explanation  or 
answer." 

After  waiting  twenty-four  hours  he  returned  to  Chisle- 
hurst. 

Bismarck  remained  like  a  spider  in  the  middle  of  his 
web;  he  had  in  his  desk  a  letter  from  the  Comte  de  Cham- 
bord;  he  had,  in  some  way,  forced  the  Empress  to  nego- 
tiate, and  M.  Thiers  waited  his  pleasure  to  discuss  an 
armistice. 

Had  he  (Bismarck)  seriously  considered  for  a  single 
instant  the  idea  of  treating  with  any  of  them?  I  do  not 
think  so;  he  had  but  one  end  in  view:  to  play  one  off" 
against  the  other  and  to  urge  the  different  parties  into 
internecine  struggles  so  as  to  lay  France  in  the  dust. 

In  that  hope,  fortunately,  he  was  mistaken,  as  on  many 
other  points,  and  one  may  have  noted,  in  the  preceding 
pages,  the  historical  and  psychological  misconceptions,  the 
pitiable  moral  arithmetic,  the  vulgar  pedantry  of  this 
brutal  handler  of  men,  whose  power  was  based,  not  on  in- 
telligence, but  only  on  violence  and  fraud.  Moltke, 
Frederick  Charles,  Manteuffel  and  Werder  won  the  game. 
Bismarck  gathered  up  the  stakes. 

Meanwhile,  General  Boyer  had  arrived  at  the  conclu- 
sion that  his  presence  in  London  had  no  further  object. 
He  applied  on  the  26th  to  Bernstorff  to  obtain  the  neces- 
sary safe-conducts  in  order  to  rejoin  the  Army  of  Metz. 

"Nothing  is  concluded,  why  go?"  said  the  Prussian 
Minister.    He  added  that  the  conditions  of  peace  would 

222 


William    of  Prussia's    Letter 


be  much  less  hard  for  the  Regency  than  for  the  Republican 
Government.  He  gave  Boyer  to  understand  that  they 
would  be  contented  with  "quite  a  small  cession  of  ter- 
ritory." 

The  same  day  this  same  Bernstorff  transmitted  to  the 
Empress  the  King  of  Prussia's  reply.  It  was  in  these 
terms : 

"Madame, — Count  Bernstorff  has  sent  me  by  telegram 
the  words  which  you  wished  to  address  to  me.  I  desire 
with  all  my  heart  to  bring  peace  to  our  two  nations,  but  to 
arrive  at  peace  it  is  necessary  to  establish  at  least  the  prob- 
ability that  we  shall  succeed  in  making  France  accept  the 
result  of  our  negotiations  without  having  to  continue  the 
war  against  the  entire  forces  of  France. 

"At  the  present  time,  I  regret  that  the  uncertainty  in 
which  we  find  ourselves  with  reference  to  the  political  dis- 
positions of  the  Army  of  Metz,  as  well  as  those  of  the 
French  nation,  does  not  allow  me  to  follow  up  the  negotia- 
tions proposed  by  your  Majesty. 

"(Signed)  William." 

Almost  at  the  same  time  the  Empress  received  from 
Prince  Metternich  the  following  letter: 

"Tours,  October  24,  1870. 
"Madame, — I  am  in  some  sort  unofficially  commis- 
sioned by  the  Provisional  Delegacy  at  Tours,  to  ask  for 
your  Majesty's  cooperation  in  the  present  circumstances. 
As  the  mission  that  I  have  accepted  is  eminently  confiden- 
tial, I  beg  you  to  keep  it  absolutely  secret  and  arrange  that 
no  one  shall  read  this  letter;  although,  indeed,  it  might 
well  be  preserved  as  a  curious  document.    Those  here  are 

223 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

greatly  worried  concerning  the  mission  of  General  Boyer 
to  Versailles  and  to  Chislehurst.  I  have  been  asked  what 
reception  I  thought  you  would  give  to  this  envoy  from 
Bazaine  in  case  he  proposed  to  you  to  treat  directly  with 
Prussia  in  the  name  of  the  Regency.  I  replied  that  to 
the  best  of  my  belief  (i)  you  had  nothing  now  in  view  but 
the  welfare  of  France;  (2)  that  you  would  certainly  refuse 
to  serve  as  a  pretext  for  new  complications,  or  to  do  any- 
thing that  might  embarrass  the  defense;  (3)  that  you 
would  never  give  your  support  to  negotiations  which  im- 
plied the  loss  of  an  inch  of  territory.  All  were  unanimous 
in  approving  my  reply.  All  the  information  which  has 
been  received  concerning  your  patriotic  attitude  agrees 
with  my  assertions. 

"Matters  have,  however,  gone  even  farther.  It  is  said 
that  in  the  Boyer  affair  you  could  render  France  an  im- 
mense service  by  preventing  the  capitulation  of  Metz 
before  the  conclusion  of  the  armistice  which  England, 
supported  by  the  other  Great  Powers,  has  just  proposed, 
and  I  am  asked  if  I  cannot,  on  my  own  responsibility, 
suggest  this  good  deed  to  you. 

"  It  seemed  to  me  that  I  might  do  so,  and  I  have  thus 
taken  upon  myself  a  mission  which  is,  from  the  diplomatic 
standpoint,  highly  incorrect.  This  letter  will  arrive  rather 
late  in  the  day.  Possibly  the  whole  affair  is  less  important 
than  one  imagines.  You  may  perhaps  have  already  sug- 
gested to  General  Boyer  that  he  should  get  into  touch 
with  the  provisional  Government,  so  as  to  avoid  a  split. 

"However  this  may  be,  it  is  my  wish  to  carry  out  the 
errand  that  only  my  devotion  to  your  cause  and  to  that 
of  France  has  made  me  accept. 

"The  news  from  Paris  is  really  good,  and  the  Army 
of  the  Loire  is  no  longer  a  myth.    If  it  were  not  for  the 

224 


Metternich's   Appeal 


fear  of  seeing  Metz  capitulate,  the  situation  improves 
daily.    Who  knows? 

"Of  your  Majesty, 
"The  most  humble  servant, 

"Metternich." 

Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  the  Empress  replied 
by  the  following  telegram: 

"Chislehurst,  October  26,  1870. 

"The  capitulation  of  Metz  is  a  matter  only  of  hours. 
They  have  no  food.  Hurry  on  the  armistice.  I  desire 
intensely  to  save  this  last  army  and  bulwark  of  order,  even 
at  the  cost  of  all  our  hopes.  You  cannot  doubt  my  ardent 
patriotism  which  makes  me  efface  myself  to-day,  whilst 
reserving  my  claim  to  our  rights  when  peace  is  made. 

"General  Changarnier  had  entrusted  General  Boyer 
with  a  message  for  M.  Thiers.  It  is  unfortunate  that  they 
could  not  meet. 

"  {Signed)  Eugenie." 

The  next  day,  the  27th,  we  received  a  visit  which  was 
very  unexpected  and  very  surprizing  for  those  who  were 
not  in  the  secret  of  the  situation.  M.  Tissot,  the  diplo- 
matic agent  of  the  Government  of  National  Defense,  came 
to  Chislehurst  to  lay  at  the  feet  of  the  Empress  the  thanks 
of  this  same  Government.  I  saw  him;  he  came  in  walking 
on  tiptoe,  with  a  constrained  smile.  He  was  drest  in 
a  manner  half  official,  half  informal — a  black  dress-coat 
and  gray  trousers,  which  he  doubtless  considered  in 
harmony  with  the  unusual  character  of  the  step  he  was 
taking.  His  first  words  to  Duperre  were  almost  exactly 
the  same  as  those  of  Prince  Metternich:  "I  am  charged 
with  a  highly  incorrect  mission." 

225 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

The  Empress  did  not  receive  him,  which  greatly  com- 
forted his  soul! 

But  this  semi-comic  episode  disappeared  in  the  emotion 
caused  by  the  close  of  the  whole  tragedy.  On  this  same 
27th  of  October  Metz  fell.1  The  news  was  con- 
veyed to  the  Empress  by  the  following  letter  from 
General    Boyer: 

"London,  October  27,  1870. 
"Madame, — It  is  my  painful  duty  to  inform  your 
Majesty  that  the  Army  of  the  Rhine  and  the  fortress  of 
Metz  capitulated  to-day.  I  have  not  the  strength,  under 
the  weight  of  this  terrible  blow,  to  bring  in  person  to  your 
Majesty  the  fatal  letter  in  which  Count  Bernstorff  tells  me 
this  news.  To-morrow  I  shall  have  the  honor  of  pre- 
senting myself  at  Chislehurst  to  take  your  Majesty's 
orders.  Amid  this  uninterrupted  series  of  reverses  which 
have  struck  France  and  the  Imperial  Family,  the  un- 
happy Army  of  the  Rhine  will  have  at  least,  in  its  last 
hour,  the  consolation  of  having  done  its  duty  to  the  end, 
and  of  having  retained  the  esteem  and  affection  of  your 
Majesty.  I  have  witnessed  the  efforts  that  you  have  made 
to  save  it,  Madame,  and  when  I  rejoin  my  companions  in 

1 1  have  been  greatly  surprized  to  read  in  the  Bernstorff  papers,  following 
the  text  of  the  telegrams  exchanged  between  Chislehurst  and  Versailles,  two 
other  telegrams,  then  unknown  to  me,  which  M.  Henri  Welschinger  has  repro- 
duced in  his  fine  work  on  the  Diplomatic  History  of  the  War  of  1870.  They 
are  dated  October  27,  1870.  In  the  first  the  Empress  confers  on  Marshal 
Bazaine  the  lieutenancy-general  of  the  Empire.  In  the  second  someone  replies  that 
the  surrender  of  Metz  is  an  accomplished  fact  and  that  the  marshal  is  a  prisoner  of 
war. 

I  do  not  dispute  the  authenticity  of  these  telegrams;  I  only  remark  that  they  do 
not  figure  in  my  collection — they  were  never  brought  to  me  to  be  copied  like  the 
others. 

That  morning  the  Empress  stopt  for  a  moment  by  my  side  in  the  gallery  and 
said  to  me:  "Do  you  know  what  they  are  now  asking?  They  want  me  to 
appoint  Bazaine  lieutenant-general  of  the  Empire."  She  passed  on  without  another 
word,  as  if  it  sufficed  to  merely  mention  the  idea  in  order  to  show  its  absurdity. 

226 


The  "Day   of  the   Dead" 


arms  to  take  part  in  their  exile  my  first  duty  will  be  to  give 
them  that  assurance. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc., 

"  (Signed)    Napoleon    Boyer." 

The  Empress  answered  him: 

"My  dear  General, — I  have  just  received  your  letter. 
Broken  by  grief,  I  can  only  express  to  you  my  admiration 
for  that  valiant  army  and  its  leaders.  Overwhelmed  by 
numbers,  but  faithful  guardians  of  the  glory  and  the 
honor  of  our  unhappy  country,  they  have  kept  intact  the 
traditions  of  our  old  legions.  You  know  my  efforts  and 
my  impotence  to  avert  a  fate  that  I  would  fain  have  spared 
them  at  the  price  of  my  dearest  hopes. 

"I  expect  to  see  you  to-morrow.  I  hope  that  you  will 
take  a  letter  to  the  Marshal.  When  you  rejoin  your 
companions  in  arms  tell  them  that  they  have  been  the 
hope,  the  pride  and  the  grief  of  an  exile  like  themselves. 

"Believe,  my  dear  General,  in  my  best  regards, 

"(Signed)  Eugenie." 

Some  days  after — it  was  November  2,  the  "day  of 
the  dead" — there  came  to  Chislehurst  a  letter  from  King 
William,  enclosed  in  one  from  Count  Bernstorff,  which 
was  brought  by  an  attache  from  the  Embassy. 

The  Prussian  Minister  excused  himself  for  not  having 
come  in  person;  he  believed  himself  justified,  he  said,  "in 
thinking  that  his  presence  would  not  be  agreeable  just 
now  to  the  Empress."  He  was  charged  at  the  same  time 
to  present  to  her  Majesty  the  excuses  of  Count  Bismarck, 
who  had  not  written  to  the  Empress,  being  actuated  by  a 
similar   feeling   of    "  respectful    reserve   dictated   by   the 


situation." 


227 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Here  is  the  letter  of  the  King  of  Prussia.  It  was  a 
reply  to  the  one  which  had  been  delivered  by  M.  G.  on 
behalf  of  the  Empress  on  October  24.  It  was  dated  the 
25th.  Why  was  the  letter  not  delivered  to  the  addressee 
until  a  week  later?  No  reason  for  the  delay  was  forth- 
coming. 

"Madame, — I  have  received  the  letter  that  your 
Majesty  has  addrest  to  me,  and  which  has  evoked  memo- 
ries of  the  past  that  I  cannot  recall  without  regret.  No 
one  more  than  myself  deplores  the  blood  spilt  in  this 
war,  which,  as  your  Majesty  well  knows,  was  not  provoked 
by  me. 

"From  the  beginning  of  hostilities  my  constant  pre- 
occupation has  been  to  neglect  no  means  of  giving  back 
to  Europe  the  blessings  of  peace,  if  such  means  were 
offered  by  France. 

"An  understanding  would  have  been  easy,  so  long 
as  the  Emperor  Napoleon  believed  himself  authorized  to 
treat,  and  my  Government  has  not  even  refused  to  listen 
to  the  propositions  of  Jules  Favre,  and  to  offer  him  the 
means  to  secure  peace  for  France. 

"When  at  Ferrieres  it  appeared  that  overtures  were 
being  made  in  the  name  of  your  Majesty,  we  welcomed 
them  cordially,  and  all  facilities  were  afforded  to  Marshal 
Bazaine  to  put  himself  into  communication  with  your 
Majesty.  And  when  General  Boyer  came  here,  it  was 
still  possible  to  arrive  at  an  understanding  if  the  pre- 
liminary conditions  could  be  fulfilled  without  delay.  But 
time  has  gone  by  without  the  indispensable  guarantees, 
necessary  for  entering  into  negotiation,  being  given. 

"I  love  my  country,  as  you,  Madame,  love  yours,  and 
consequently  I  understand  the  bitterness  which  fills  your 

228 


William    Insists   on   Cessions 


Majesty's  heart,  and  I  sympathize  with  it  sincerely.  But 
after  having  made  such  immense  sacrifices  for  her  de- 
fense, Germany  will  have  to  be  assured  that  the  next 
war  will  find  her  well  prepared  to  repulse  the  attack  which 
we  may  expect,  as  soon  as  France  shall  have  recovered 
her  strength  or  gained  Allies. 

"It  is  this  sad  consideration  alone,  and  not  the  desire 
for  the  aggrandizement  of  my  country,  the  territory 
of  which  is  large  enough,  which  forces  me  to  insist  on 
cessions  of  territory,  which  have  no  other  object  than  to 
push  back  the  point  of  departure  of  the  French  armies 
which,  in  the  future,  will  come  to  attack  us. 

"I  cannot  judge  if  your  Majesty  was  authorized  to 
accept,  in  the  name  of  France,  the  conditions  which 
Germany  demands;  but  I  believe  that  in  doing  so  you 
would  have  spared  your  country  many  evils,  and  would 
have  preserved  it  from  the  anarchy  which  threatens  a 
nation  of  which  for  twenty  years  the  Emperor  has  suc- 
ceeded in  developing  the  prosperity. 

"Pray  believe,  Madame,  in  the  sentiments  with  which 
I  sign  myself, 

"Your  Majesty's  good  brother, 

"  (Signed)   William. 
"Versailles,  October  25." 

It  is  hardly  necessary,  I  think,  to  point  out  the  in- 
accuracies and  the  sophistical  arguments  which  form  the 
groundwork  of  the  above  letter.  It  faithfully  represented 
the  thoughts  of  Bismarck,  and  was  perhaps  his  own  work. 
In  any  case  it  indicated  clearly  the  use  which  the  Prussians 
intended  to  make  of  their  victory  and  in  what  manner  they 
would  later  tell  the  story  of  this  war,  until  such  time  as 

229 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

they  felt  that  the  mask  could  safely  be  dropt,  when  they 
exchanged  hypocrisy  for  cynicism. 

However  it  may  be,  that  letter  served  as  the  epilogue 
to  the  drama.  But  it  was  written  that  in  this  affair  farce 
was  to  mingle  with  tragedy  even  to  the  end.  At  this 
moment  M.  Regnier  had  it  announced,  with  a  great  flourish 
of  trumpets,  that  he  was  off  to  Wilhelmshohe!  And  why? 
He  had  all  at  once  remembered  that  six  weeks  previously 
the  Prince  Imperial  had  charged  him  to  take  to  the 
Emperor  certain  photographs  of  Hastings  (we  already 
know  the  use  that  M.  Regnier  had  made  of  them),  and 
he  went  off  in  all  haste  to  acquit  himself  of  this  mission 
to  his  captive  Sovereign.  He  disappeared  in  a  peal  of 
laughter. 

It  was  not,  however,  the  only  comic  episode  occasioned 
by  this  lamentable  capitulation.  It  is  well  known  that  the 
whole  of  France  at  this  time  was  transported  with  anger 
against  Bazaine,  who  had  been  so  popular  only  two 
months  before  and  whose  name  was  now  a  byword  of 
scornful  insult.  The  Government  of  Tours,  who  had  been 
kept  informed  of  the  state  of  things  in  Metz  by  Bourbaki, 
by  the  brother  of  the  marshal,  and  lastly,  as  we  have  seen, 
by  the  Empress  Eugenie  herself,  after  having  made  a 
pretense  of  believing  that  Metz  could  offer  indefinite 
resistance,  now  feigned  a  generous  indignation  at  the  news 
of  its  fall. 

In  the  absence  of  Gambetta  they  pushed  this  lugubrious 
comedy  so  far  as  to  institute  a  court  of  inquiry  into  the 
causes  of  the  capitulation  of  Metz.  Gambetta  saw  the 
danger  and  sent  them  this  crushing  telegram,  which  it  is 
well  to  remember: 

"December  25,  2.45   p.  m.,  No.   5,183.     Gambetta  to 

230 


Bazaine's   Trial 


Cremieux,  Freycinet,  Laurier. — Who  has  formed  a  council 
of  inquiry  to  try  Bazaine?  There  is  nothing  to  inquire 
about.  I  have  not  been  consulted.  I  absolutely  object 
and  desire  you  to  stop  everything.    Reply  immediately." 

There  was  no  longer  any  question  of  inquiry  up  to  the 
moment  of  the  court-martial  (more  political  than  military, 
alas!)  at  Trianon.  This  trial  took  place  after  the  peace 
and  in  times  of  comparative  tranquillity,  and  the  judg- 
ment was  delivered  by  men  whom  one  had  every  reason  to 
believe  sincere.  Bismarck  had  declared  to  M.  Regnier,  if 
one  can  believe  that  person's  notes,  that  on  one  day  only, 
August  26,  from  nine  o'clock  to  noon,  the  marshal  might 
have  had  some  chance  of  breaking  through.  I  do  not 
know  what  value  can  be  attached  to  these  words,  and  even 
if  they  were  true  I  am  quite  incompetent  to  pronounce 
whether  a  besieged  general  who  has  thus  missed  a  chance 
of  escape  deserves  to  be  shot;  but  it  does  not  seem  to  me 
that  an  army  chief  in  Bazaine's  circumstances  is  guilty  of 
high  treason  because  he  has  inquired  from  the  besiegers 
what  terms  would  be  accorded  him  in  the  case  of  surrender 
and  by  what  means  he  might  avoid  capitulation. 

The  Prussians  having  let  him  know  that  the  political 
and  military  questions  were  inextricably  mixed,  and  that 
the  only  way  of  avoiding  capitulation  was  the  signing  of 
peace,  the  Marshal  referred  the  matter  to  the  authority 
which  had  appointed  him,  the  only  authority  known  to 
him;  in  doing  so  he  was,  strictly  and  absolutely,  fulfilling 
his  duty. 

As  for  the  Empress,  after  the  fall  of  Metz,  she  took  no 
further  part  in  any  events  relating  to  the  war. 

In  the  month  of  January,  1871,  in  a  letter  to  one  of  her 
friends,  which  I  have  had  the  privilege  of  seeing,  she  said: 

231 


Recollections    of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"May  God  give  victory  to  the  Army  of  the  Vosges  and  I 
shall  be  consoled  for  all  our  misfortunes." 

This  was  her  last  word,  and  it  was  her  real  thought.1 

1  There  were  still  negotiations  with  the  Prussian  Government;  they  continued 
all  through  the  winter,  even  after  the  signing  of  the  treaty  of  Frankfort.  Much  more 
important  personalities  than  those  who  had  played  a  part  in  the  correspondence 
of  the  Empress  with  King  William  were  mixed  up  with  these  negotiations. 

I  find  described  in  my  diary  at  the  time  my  profound  astonishment  at  these  pro- 
ceedings. 

How  could  one  hope  to  treat  advantageously  with  Bismarck  when  we  had  no  guar- 
antees to  offer? 

Whilst  the  enemy  might  have  considered  an  arrangement  with  the  Imperial  Gov- 
ernment when  the  army  of  Bazaine  was  still  in  being,  and  one  could  still 
believe  in  the  loyalty  of  the  troops  taken  prisoner  at  Sedan,  such  an  idea  was  out 
of  the  question  after  the  convening  of  the  National  Assembly,  after  the  vote 
of  deposition,  after  all  the  available  regular  forces  had  been  concentrated  under 
the  hand  of  M.  Thiers  and  after  the  ratifications  of  the  treaty  had  been  ex- 
changed. 

The  negotiations  which  I  am  now  mentioning  could  not  have  come  to  any- 
thing. 

I  have  not  spoken  of  them,  for  the  Empress — I  am  glad  to  say — took  no  part  in  them, 
and  I  am  convinced  that  she  disapproved  of  them. 


232 


CHAPTER  XI 

LIFE  AT  CHISLEHURST 

NO  sooner  had  the  Empress  arrived  at  Hastings  than 
kind  messages  came  from  all  sides  putting  various 
charming  residences  at  her  disposal.  One  offer 
came  from  Mr.  Nathaniel  Strode,  a  name  quite  unknown 
to  the  Empress.  He  offered,  for  the  very  modest  rent  of 
six  thousand  francs  per  annum  a  large  and  commodious 
house,  its  proximity  to  London  making  it  very  convenient 
for  rapid  communication  either  with  London  or  the 
Continent. 

Madame  Lebreton  and  Commander  Duperre  went  to 
look  at  it  and  reported  favorably.  Mr.  Strode's  offer, 
therefore,  was  accepted,  and  a  few  days  later  the  small 
exiled  Court  settled  down  at  Camden  Place. 

Camden  Place  was  a  large  house  of  no  particular  archi- 
tectural style,  built  of  red  bricks  which  time  had  mellowed 
to  a  reddish  brown.  It  was  no  older  than  the  early  part 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  A  short  time  after  it  was  built 
a  crime  had  been  committed  in  the  very  room  which  the 
Empress  was  about  to  occupy — a  mysterious  crime,  of 
which  the  causes  and  even  the  circumstances  had  never 
been  fully  explained.  The  master  of  the  house  had  been 
murdered  by  his  servant;  it  was  thought  at  the  instigation 
of  the  victim's  son.  But  we  did  not  know  these  details  till 
long  afterwards. 

This  house  replaced  a  much  older  building  where 
Camden,  the  celebrated  antiquarian  of  the  time  of  James 
I,  had  lived,  and  left  his  name  as  a  legacy  to  the  house. 

233 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Two  enormous  cedars,  whose  branches  waved  and 
rustled  close  to  the  house,  and  which  were  said  to  have 
been  planted  by  the  historian,  often  kept  me  awake  on 
stormy  nights.  There  was,  also,  a  little  edifice  hidden  in  a 
clump  of  trees,  a  hundred  yards  from  the  house,  which  was 
thought  to  date  from  Camden's  day.  This  was  an  exact 
copy  of  the  "lantern  of  Demosthenes"  which  adorns  the 
summit  of  a  tower  in  the  park  of  Saint  Cloud.  In  conse- 
quence of  the  accumulation  of  animal  and  vegetable  rub- 
bish, which  has  gradually  raised  the  ground  around  it,  the 
edifice,  originally  erected  level  with  the  ground  at  the 
beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  is  to-day  buried  in 
a  kind  of  pit. 

The  house  has  seven  windows  in  the  front.  The  style 
is  most  simple,  and  there  are  no  ornamental  features  except 
a  big  clock,  whose  gilded  hands  move  over  a  light-colored 
dial.    Over  it  is  the  motto:  Malo  mori  quam  fcedari. 

Two  annexes  have  been  added  to  the  main  building, 
with  which  a  wing  on  the  right,  containing  the  usual  de- 
pendencies, makes  a  right  angle.  The  whole  effect, 
although  somewhat  irregular,  is  pleasing. 

On  entering  the  house  one  found  oneself  in  a  largo 
corridor  facing  a  big  hall  where  the  light  falls  from  a 
skylight.  On  the  walls  of  the  hall  and  along  those  of 
the  corridor  were  pictures,  busts  and  cabinets  of  ebony  or 
tortoise-shell,  inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl,  brass,  and 
copper;  behind  the  glass  doors  of  these  cabinets  were 
arrayed  a  vast  and  heterogeneous  collection  of  objects  of 
very  unequal  value.  At  the  end  of  the  hall  was  a  huge 
beveled  mirror  with  a  carved  and  pierced  frame.  To  the 
right  a  big  gilded  timepiece  sonorously  ticked  out  the 
seconds.  On  the  face  of  this  timepiece,  which  must  have 
dated  from  the  first  years  of  the  eighteenth  century,  to  the 

234 


BHBUHI^BmBHBB 


CAMDEN  HOUSE,  CHISLEHURST 


First  Residence  in  England  of  Napoleon  III  and  the  Empress   Eugenie 


I-  \k\'H()koi  <;ii  iiii.i. 

I. ati  i  I  lome  '>t  t  hi    Empress 


Camden    Place 


astonishment  of  everyone  but  myself,  my  own  name  could 
be  clearly  read.  I  was  able  to  explain  that  the  timepiece 
must  be  the  work  of  my  grandfather's  grandfather,  for  my 
humble  ancestors  have  followed  the  trade  of  clockmaker 
from  father  to  son  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

The  Empress  adopted  the  custom  of  having  tea  served 
in  the  hall,  and  it  was  here  that  we  awaited  the  evening 
papers,  which  contained  the  afternoon  telegrams,  and  we 
discust  with  some  excitement  the  chances  of  the  war. 

When  we  had  forgotten  the  flight  of  time  in  our  talk 
the  Empress  would  be  suddenly  recalled  to  the  hour 
by  the  slow  and  ponderous  striking  of  the  old  clock. 
"Ah!  mon  Dieu,  what  says  Grandpapa?"  she  would 
exclaim,  and  she  would  run  away  to  dress.  The  corridor 
extended  the  whole  length  of  the  house,  going  from  the 
dining-room  to  a  big  bay  window  which  opened  on  the 
garden.  A  long  carpet  of  red  and  green  squares  stretched 
from  one  end  to  the  other.  On  this  carpet  we  were  to 
walk  up  and  down  for  years,  adding  the  waste  of  our  steps 
to  that  of  our  thoughts  and  words  as  we  passed  and  re- 
passed a  bust  of  Machiavelli,  whose  vicious  and  ape-like 
face,  with  its  sharp  smile,  seemed  to  mock  both  our  plans 
and  our  dreams. 

One  day  at  Farnborough,  whilst  we  were  walking 
down  one  of  the  galleries,  the  Empress  stopt,  and 
showing  me  the  carpet  on  which  we  stood,  said:  "Do  you 
recognize  this?  It  is  the  old  Camden  Place  carpet.  I 
made  a  point  of  bringing  it  here.  Ah!  how  many  thou- 
sands of  miles  have  we  walked  on  this  poor  carpet  which 
have  led  us  nowhere!  Our  impatient  restlessness  has 
worn  it  out!" 

At  one  end  of  the  corridor  was  the  big  staircase,  at  the 

235 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

other  were  two  drawing-rooms,  ending  in  a  kind  of  cir- 
cular hall,  which  looked  out  upon  grassy  slopes.  The 
walls  and  the  ceiling  were  covered  with  gilding  and  mytho- 
logical pictures  somewhat  crudely  painted.  The  fireplace, 
of  colored  china,  also  had  a  peculiar  appearance.  I 
remember  Duperre's  first  comment  on  that  room: 
"Fine  place,  this!  .  .  .  It  looks  like  a  cafe!" 

The  Empress  rarely  used  these  two  rooms.  We  never 
had  the  fire  lit  in  the  china  fireplace  until  after  the  arrival 
of  the  Emperor.  It  was  apparently  not  intended 
for  such  a  use,  for  on  that  occasion  it  almost  flew  in 
pieces. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  dining-room  was  large  and 
handsome,  lighted  by  immense  windows  and  paneled  from 
top  to  bottom.  These  panels,  which  were  all  different 
and  composed  of  the  most  delicate  work,  originally  came 
from  the  Chateau  of  the  Nicolai',  at  Bercy. 

Mr.  Strode,  who  possest  ancestors  of  whom  he  was 
proud,  had  had  their  portraits  hung  in  this  room. 
Amongst  these  powdered  officers  and  smiling  dowagers 
stood  out  the  vigorous  countenance  of  that  Strode  who  was 
one  of  the  proudest  spirits  among  the  Roundheads  and  one 
of  the  five  members  whom  Charles  I  went  in  person  to 
arrest  on  the  Parliamentary  benches. 

There  were  three  other  reception  rooms  on  the  ground 
floor.  Two  of  these  were  entirely  hung  with  Gobelins 
tapestry.  One  of  them  became  the  smoking-room,  and 
the  other  was  reserved  for  the  Prince's  study. 

The  Empress  occupied  a  long,  vast  room  on  the  first 

floor  which  corresponded  with  the  large  drawing-room  on 

the  ground  floor.     To  this  room  was  attached  a  pretty 

little  octagon-shaped  study  which  she  arranged  according 

to  her  own  taste,  and  which  gradually  acquired  the  im- 

236 


Days   at   Chislehurst 


press  of  her  personality.  I  remember  that  I  once  got  an 
upholsterer  to  cover  with  blue  velvet  the  shelves  of  a  little 
glass-fronted  cabinet,  in  which  she  arranged  carefully  the 
few  precious  souvenirs  that  remained  to  her  in  the  dep- 
rivations of  the  early  days  of  exile. 

On  her  anniversary  day,  November  15,  we  gave  her  a 
screen  formed  of  gilded  trellis-work,  over  which  climbed 
growing  ivy,  and  she  was  moved  to  tears  by  this  humble 
present  which  recalled  to  her  one  of  her  favorite  posses- 
sions of  bygone  days. 

On  her  writing-table  a  crowd  of  little  miniatures  in 
open  frames  looked  upon  her  whilst  she  wrote. 

This  room  was  the  only  one  in  which  she  made  any 
change.  In  all  other  respects  Camden  Place  remained 
as  it  was.  It  was  meant  only  as  a  temporary  home,  but 
she  remained  in  it  more  than  ten  years. 

Madame  Lebreton's  room  was  separated  from  that  of 
the  Empress  only  by  a  little  ante-chamber.  The  Prince 
took  one  of  the  front  rooms,  and  the  rest  of  us  took  up 
our  quarters  where  we  liked. 

The  Park  was  not  very  large,  but  it  contained  some 
wild  corners  and  charming  views.  There  were  all  kinds 
of  outbuildings:  houses  for  the  gardeners,  lodges  for  the 
gate-keepers,  greenhouses,  kennels,  dove-cots,  and  the  big 
square  building  containing  the  stables,  which  seemed  to 
be  of  an  earlier  date  than  the  rest  of  the  house. 

For  such  a  home  the  rent  of  6,000  francs  was  ridiculous. 
One  was  tempted  to  ask  oneself  why  Mr.  Strode, 
a  financier  by  profession,  a  man  who  apparently  knew 
the  value  of  money,  had  made  such  a  bad  bargain. 

Many  people  thought  that  Mr.  Strode  was  not  the 
actual  owner,  and  that  his  name  covered  a  more  illustrious 
one.     It  was  said  that  the  Emperor  Napoleon  III  had 

237 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

been  for  many  years  the  real  owner  of  Camden  Place,  and 
had  retained  it  as  a  possible  refuge  in  case  of  trouble. 

There  was  no  truth  in  the  rumor,  but  it  is  probable 
that  Mr.  Strode  was  known  to  the  Emperor  and  his 
entourage  long  before  the  Fourth  of  September,  for  I 
found  in  an  empty  cabinet  a  portrait  of  M.  Mocquart, 
which  had  evidently  been  given  to  the  owner  of  Camden 
Place  by  the  Emperor's  late  secretary.  Perhaps  these 
relations  dated  from  before  the  Empire.  These  points 
have  never  been  cleared  up. 

What  is  certain  is  that  Mr.  Strode  had  intended  to  live 
at  Camden  Place  whilst  the  Empress  resided  there,  and 
to  act  as  host.  We  had  therefore  his  company,  as  well  as 
that  of  his  friend  and  agent,  a  certain  Mr.  Fodor,  in  the 
house  and  at  table,  from  morning  till  night. 

Some  days  after  our  arrival  Mr.  Fodor  was  killed  in  a 
carriage  accident  on  the  road  to  Eltham.  As  for  Mr. 
Strode,  who  was  indeed  a  very  amiable  and  excellent 
fellow,  a  hint  was  given  to  him  that,  however  well  meaning 
his  hospitality  might  be,  his  continual  presence  was  a  little 
trying  in  our  sad  circumstances.  He  took  the  hint  in  good 
part,  and  after  that  we  saw  him  only  on  Sundays. 

From  the  very  first  day  of  our  arrival  a  small  colony 
grew  up  round  the  Empress.  Dr.  Conneau  had  joined  us, 
bringing  with  him  his  son  Louis,  the  faithful  friend  of  the 
Prince,  who  came,  at  Chislehurst  as  at  the  Tuileries,  to 
join  in  his  studies  and  his  games.  Mademoiselle  de 
Larminat  again  took  up  her  post  as  Maid  of  Honor. 
The  Aguados  settled  in  a  house  called  "Old  Borough,"  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Common.  Comte  Clary  rented  "Oak 
Lodge,"  just  outside  the  Park,  for  his  wife;  the  Due  de 
Bassano,  the  Comtesse  Davillier  and  her  daughter,  Made- 
leine,   established    themselves    in    neighboring    houses. 

238 


Arrival   of  the    Emperor 


Apartments  were  arranged  in  the  group  of  stable  buildings 
for  Madame  de  Saulcy  and  her  daughter  Jacqueline.  M. 
de  Saulcy  remained  in  Paris,  and  joined  them  after  the 
siege  was  raised. 

The  Duchesse  de  Mouchy,  her  brother  Prince  Achille 
and  the  Princess  Salome  remained  in  London.  The 
Duchesse  de  Talleyrand,  the  Duchesse  de  Tarente,  the 
Jerome  Davids,  the  Comte  de  Bouville  and  Clement 
Duvernois  were  also  in  the  metropolis.  The  Rouher 
family  had  settled  at  Richmond,  as  had  MM.  Albert  and 
Leon  Chevreau.  Thus  there  was  a  continual  coming  and 
going  of  visitors  at  Camden  Place,  which  gave  it,  if  not 
an  appearance  of  gaiety — which  would  have  been  out  of 
place — at  least  an  appearance  of  animation. 

On  March  20,  1871,  the  Emperor  arrived  at  Chisle- 
hurst,  bringing  with  him  Comte  Davillier,  Baron  Corvisart 
and  M.  Franceschini  Pietri,  all  of  whom  remained  with 
him  to  the  end. 

From  this  time  a  voluntary  service  of  aides-de-camp 
and  chamberlains  organized  itself  round  his  person,  and 
the  comings  and  goings  became  more  numerous  and  more 
frequent. 

It  would  be  impossible  for  me  to  name  the  visitors  who 
succeeded  each  other  without  interruption  during  the 
years  1871  and  1872;  the  list  would  more  than  fill  up  this 
book.  The  visitors  were  the  survivors  of  the  Imperialist 
political  group,  two  or  three  absent  turn-coats  excepted; 
and  there  were  many  great  names  belonging  to  the  two 
nobilities;1  there  were  also  artists,  writers,  and  a  veritable 
swarm  of  journalists. 

The  English  showed  great  sympathy  towards  their  old 

1  The  old  nobility  had  its  titles  from  the  Bourbons;  the  new  nobility  from  the  Na- 
poleons (Translator's  Note). 

239 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

ally.  He  had  been  loudly  cheered  at  Dover  as  soon  as 
he  set  foot  on  English  soil,  and  he  was  cheered  again  in 
London  when  he  attended  the  thanksgiving  service  for 
recovery  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  whose  life  had  been 
despaired  of. 

Government  circles,  however,  stood  somewhat  aloof, 
and  Mr.  Gladstone  waited  a  long  time  before  he  paid  his 
first  visit  to  Camden  Place. 

The  aristocracy,  who  had  not  the  same  need  for  cau- 
tion, showed  nevertheless  but  little  sympathy  with  the 
exiles  in  spite  of  the  example  given  them  by  the  Queen, 
who  in  this  case,  as  in  all  others,  displayed  what  I  can  best 
describe  as  her  moral  stedfastness.  Under  the  Empire 
she  had  treated  the  Orleans  Princes  with  all  the  considera- 
tion which  was  due  to  them,  and  far  from  hiding  this  from 
Napoleon  III,  she  had  very  frankly  pleaded  their  cause 
with  him.  In  just  the  same  way,  after  the  fall  of  the 
Empire  she  did  not  change,  either  in  her  sentiments 
toward  the  exiles,  or  in  the  exterior  respect  which  she 
showed  them.  Her  first  visit  to  Camden  Place  was  in  the 
spring  of  1 871. 

The  Emperor  himself  drew  up  a  note  telling  of  this 
visit,  which  I  was  ordered  to  send  "after  revising  and 
correcting  it"  (for  in  his  idea  it  was  only  a  rough  draft) 
to  our  friends  of  the  Press. 

I  have  kept  the  text  of  this  note,  which  is  very  diffi- 
cult to  decipher  for  those  who  are  not  familiar  with  the 
writing,  which  was  nearly  as  irregular  and  badly  formed 
as  that  of  the  Founder  of  the  Dynasty. 

In  this  note  the  Emperor  first  gave  an  idea  of  the 
house,  the  country  in  which  it  was  situated,  and  of  the 
profound  peace  which  ordinarily  reigned  there.  He 
continued: 

240 


Queen   Victoria's   Visit 


"Last  Saturday  the  locality  we  have  described  had 
changed  its  aspect.  The  Queen  came  to  pay  a  visit  to 
Camden  Place.  The  entire  space  between  the  station 
and  the  park  gates  was  filled  with  a  multitude  of  carriages 
and  pedestrians,  drawn  thither  by  the  wish  to  acclaim  their 
Sovereign.  At  4  o'clock  the  train  entered  the  station  of 
Chislehurst.  The  Queen,  Prince  Leopold  and  Princess 
Beatrice  got  into  their  carriage  harnessed  with  four  gray 
horses,  and  drove  to  Camden  Place.  In  another  carriage 
were  Lady  Ely  and  Lady  Waterpark.  Lord  Alfred  Paget 
on  horseback  escorted  the  Queen's  carriage. 

"When  she  arrived  at  the  entrance  of  the  house  the 
Queen  was  received  by  the  Emperor,  the  Empress  and  the 
Prince  Imperial,  and  according  to  custom  she  embraced 
her  august  hosts  warmly.  The  Emperor  and  the  Prince 
respectfully  kissed  the  Queen's  hand. 

"After  having  remained  half  an  hour  in  conversation, 
the  Queen  was  shown  into  the  first  drawing-room,  where 
she  addrest  a  few  words  to  those  who  lived  at  Camden 
Place  with  the  Emperor,  and  she  then  departed  in  the 
same  order  in  which  she  had  come. 

"One  must  say  that  the  attitude  of  the  crowd,  many  of 
whom  had  come  from  a  great  distance  to  see  the  Queen, 
made  it  plain  that  not  only  did  they  wish  to  show  their 
respect  for  their  Sovereign,  but  also  that  they  approved 
the  action  of  the  Queen,  who,  although  only  lately  re- 
turned from  a  long  journey,  had  not  hesitated  to  make 
this  effort  to  come  and  give  actual  proof  of  her  sympathy 
with  the  exiles  of  Camden  Place." 

This  was  the  first  of  a  long  series  of  Royal  visits,  first 
to  Camden  Place  and,  later,  to  Farnborough. 

The  friendship  of  Queen  Victoria  and  the  Empress 
Eugenie  was  to  last  another  thirty  years  without  any 

241 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

cloud  coming  to  cast  a  shadow  over  it.  They  were  very 
different  in  character  and  habits,  and  time  rendered  the 
contrast  more  striking.  The  Queen  was  hard-working 
and  methodical,  desirous  of  housing  facts  in  her  brain 
and  marshaling  them  in  good  order;  the  Empress  was  im- 
pulsive like  all  her  race,  but  incapable  of  continuing  any 
regular  routine,  quick  to  perceive  a  truth  which  might 
have  escaped  better-trained  eyes,  yet  losing  sight  of  it 
again  after  much  reflection  and  discussion:  the  one  woman 
was  very  reserved,  the  other  was  very  imprudent,  but  both 
were  incapable  of  deceit;  they  had  reached  the  age  when 
one  esteems  sincerity  above  everything. 

Lord  Sydney  lived  for  a  part  of  the  year  at  Frognal, 
two  miles  from  Chislehurst.  In  his  position  as  Lord  Lieu- 
tenant of  Kent,  he  felt  himself  bound  to  extend  some 
measure  of  hospitality  to  the  Imperial  family. 

He  and  Lady  Sydney  often  came  to  Camden  Place. 
We  also  saw  there  Lord  Buckhurst,  afterwards  Earl  de 
la  Warr,  an  excellent  man,  chiefly  known  by  his  efforts  in 
philanthropic  legislation;  Lord  George  Cavendish,  who 
also  lived  at  Chislehurst;  and  Lord  Frederick  Cavendish, 
that  noble  and  unfortunate  young  man  who  was  murdered 
by  scoundrels  in  Dublin  on  the  very  day  when,  full  of  the 
most  generous  intentions,  he  was  coming  to  take  up  his 
post  as  Chief  Secretary  for  Ireland;  Lord  Henry  Lennox, 
one  of  the  last  of  the  "dandies,"  whom  it  was  the  whim 
of  Disraeli  to  make  into  a  statesman;  old  Earl  Russell, 
the  sometime  hero  of  the  Reform  Bill  of  1832,  who  had 
by  now  lost  all  influence  or  even  connection  with  his  old 
party. 

I  had  the  honor  of  receiving  on  their  first  visit  to  Cam- 
den Place,  Dr.  Tait,  the  Primate  of  England,  and  Mrs. 
Tait.      Among   journalists,    the   owner   of   the   Morning 

242 


Welcome   and   Unwelcome   Visitors 

Post,  Mr.  Borthwick,  afterwards  raised  to  the  peerage 
under  the  name  of  Lord  Glenesk,  was  one  of  our  most 
frequent  visitors.  We  also  often  saw  a  writer  of  quite  a 
different  type,  the  principal  editor  of  Lloyd's  News, 
Blanchard  Jerrold,  who  has  since  written  a  life  of  Na- 
poleon III  in  four  volumes. 

No  English  lady  was  more  welcome  than  Madame 
d'Arcos  and  her  sister,  Miss  Minnie  Vaughan.  Madame 
d'Arcos,  who  belonged  by  birth  to  one  of  the  oldest 
Catholic  families  in  England,  had  married  Domingo 
d'Arcos,  a  friend  of  the  Empress  from  childhood.  The 
Empress  treated  Madame  d'Arcos  as  a  trusted  friend,  and 
her  devotion,  her  reliable  and  charming  character,  ren- 
dered her  worthy  of  this  affection,  and  the  passage  of 
years  only  strengthened  their  friendship.  It  was  never 
closer  than  at  the  moment  when  it  was  interrupted  by 
death. 

In  addition  to  all  these  visitors,  both  French  and 
English,  who  came,  led  by  loyalty  or  sympathy,  there  were 
others  whom  we  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  away. 

There  exists  a  special  race  of  adventurers  and  in- 
triguers, male  and  female,  who  rise  to  the  surface,  no  one 
knows  from  what  depths,  in  the  wake  of  revolutions,  and 
who  besiege  the  homes  of  exiled  Princes  in  order  to  trade 
on  their  hopes,  their  memories,  their  patriotism,  and  even 
their  most  generous  feelings. 

A  writer  of  the  lowest  class,  yet  not  without  talent, 
who  claimed  to  have  cried  "Long  live  the  Emperor"  on 
the  Fourth  of  September  at  the  door  of  the  Tuileries,  came 
to  offer  us,  or  rather  to  force  upon  us,  his  services,  and  con- 
stituted himself  the  champion  of  Imperialism  abroad.  The 
whole  thing  finished  with  a  disgusting  attempt  at  black- 
mail, which  was  received  with  the  scorn  it  merited;  but 

243 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

the  Government  of  M.  Thiers  received  the  renegade  and 
bought  his  "secrets"  at  a  price  greatly  beyond  their  value. 

The  sweepings  of  the  old  secret  police,  the  men  who  had 
made  their  living  out  of  political  plots  as  genuine  as  the 
romances  of  Gaboriau  or  Ponson  du  Terrail,  continued  to 
weave  around  us  dark  and  childish  intrigues.  Which  were 
faithful?    Which  were  traitors?     I  really  could  not  tell. 

Some  of  the  Communists  tried  to  enter  into  relations 
with  us,  asserting  that  they  had  entered  into  the  Com- 
munist movement  only  to  serve  the  cause  of  an  Imperial 
Restoration,  but  they  received  no  encouragement. 

To  this  period  belongs  the  fictitious  jewel  robbery. 
Many  people  living  in  different  parts  of  France  (among 
the  number  were  some  who  occupied  positions  of  political 
importance)  had  received  letters  from  an  unknown  cor- 
respondent who  stated  that  on  the  eve  of  the  Fourth  of 
September  he  had  been  charged  by  the  Empress  to  take 
into  Spain,  and  place  in  the  hands  of  the  Comtesse  de 
Montijo,  jewels  to  the  value  of  several  millions. 

After  the  Revolution,  the  messenger,  fearing  detection, 
had  buried  a  part  of  this  treasure  near  X  (here  followed 
the  name  of  some  locality  which  was  different  in  each 
letter).  Then,  on  his  arrival  in  Madrid  empty-handed,  he 
had  been  arrested  for  some  petty  debt.  Upon  receiving 
the  small  sum  necessary  to  liberate  him,  he  was  ready  to 
return  to  France  to  dig  up  the  jewels,  which  he  offered  to 
share  with  his  correspondent.  As  proofs  of  his  good  faith 
he  added  to  these  communications  various  documents,  a 
plan  of  the  locality,  a  list  of  the  precious  objects,  with  a 
forged  signature  of  the  Due  de  Bassano  and  a  stamp  of 
the  Imperial  Chancellor's  office;  lastly  a  letter  purporting 
to  have  been  sent  by  the  Empress  to  her  mother,  written 
in  terms  which  were  absolutely  vulgar  and  grotesque. 

244 


"Treasure  in   Spain" 


This  fraud,  impudent  and  coarse  though  it  was,  de- 
ceived quite  a  number  of  people. 

We  received  innumerable  letters  on  the  subject.  The 
majority  of  our  correspondents  put  themselves  absolutely 
at  the  disposal  of  the  Empress  to  help  her  to  recover  her 
own;  others,  in  mysterious  tones,  gave  her  to  understand 
that  they  were  ready  to  enter  into  negotiations  for  reveal- 
ing this  important  secret. 

More  than  one  person  made  the  journey  to  Chislehurst 
with  this  end  in  view.  In  the  meanwhile,  the  authors  of 
this  swindle  (who  were,  actually,  in  prison  in  Madrid)  were 
enjoying  a  fine  time  with  their  dupes'  money,  which  had 
apparently  reached  them  without  the  least  difficulty. 

The  correspondence  relative  to  the  stolen  jewels  took 
up  an  enormous  amount  of  my  time.  I  also  received, 
with  prepaid  stamps  for  my  reply,  letters  from  some 
enterprising  Yankee,  who  proposed  to  "show"  the 
Emperor  round  the  principal  towns  of  America;  he  offered 
a  big  sum  down,  all  expenses  paid  in  the  best  hotels,  and 
a  good  commission  was  promised  me  if  I  brought  off  the 
affair! 

A  minister  of  some  dissenting  body  invited  the  Em- 
peror to  attend  an  evening  discourse,  where  he  proposed 
to  prove  out  of  the  Bible  that  he  (Napoleon  III)  was 
identical  with  the  Antichrist  mentioned  in  the  New 
Testament. 

The  Emperor  sent  me  to  this  meeting,  which  was  held 
in  a  dirty  music-hall  in  Westbourne  Grove.  On  my  return 
he  listened,  half  saddened,  half  amused  by  the  recital  of 
the  follies  I  had  heard. 

Under  the  Empire  it  often  happened  that  individuals 
who  had  lost  their  reason  would  present  themselves  at  the 
Tuileries  to  speak  to  the  Emperor  or  the  Empress.    The 

245 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"lunatics  of  the  guichet  de  FEchelle"1  always  consti- 
tuted an  indispensable  item  in  the  "latest  news"  corner 
of  the  Paris  papers. 

The  demented  souls  did  not  abandon  us  in  exile,  and 
they  bombarded  us  with  their  letters.  Two  of  them  were 
particularly  persistent;  these  were  "the  son  of  the  Em- 
press and  the  Comte  de  Chambord"  and  "  Marie-Jeanne- 
des-peuples."  The  person  who  took  the  latter  name 
was  a  young  woman  of  a  very  distinguished  and  honor- 
able family,  and  although  insane  was  apparently  not  under 
control.  She  declared  that  from  her  and  the  Em- 
peror would  be  born  the  savior  of  France!  As  to  the 
other  lunatic,  who  must  have  written  alternately  to  Frohs- 
dorf 2  and  to  Chislehurst,  he  mingled  his  heartbroken  and 
delirious  appeals  with  political  considerations  of  the  most 
comical  kind  concerning  the  immense  advantage  of  com- 
bining in  his  person  the  authority  of  the  plebiscite  and  the 
prestige  of  the  legitimate  Bourbons.  At  the  same  time 
he  referred  in  the  most  delicate  and  feeling  terms  to  the 
person  and  the  situation  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  his  "half- 
brother"  (!),  and  he  gave  hints  full  of  vague  promises 
of  which  a  diplomat  might  have  envied  the  prudence  and 
cleverness.3 

The  Emperor  worked  in  a  tiny  study  on  the  first  floor, 

1  One  of  the  entrances  to  the  Tuileries.    See  also  p.  144  (Translator's  Note). 

2  The  residence  of  the  Comte  de  Chambord  (Translator's  Note). 

3  The  Emperor  and  Empress  used  to  give  me  these  letters,  of  which  I  had  made 
a  curious  collection.  The  voluminous  packet  which  bore  the  inscription,  "Letters 
of  maniacs,  male  and  female,"  was  for  a  long  time  in  my  house  locked  up 
in  a  cupboard.  It  disappeared  at  a  time  when  illness  prevented  my  look- 
ing after  my  papers.  Perhaps  it  will  re-appear  some  day,  brought  to  light  by  some 
pseudo-scholar  who  will  think  he  has  made  an  historical  discovery.  A  Dumas  of 
the  twenty-second  century  will  put  into  romance  the  sufferings  and  adven- 
tures of  the  son  of  the  Comte  de  Chambord  and  the  Empress  Eugenie,  just  as  the 
Dumas  of  the  nineteenth  has  already  related  those  of  the  brother  of  Louis 
XIV. 

246 


MSS.   of  Napoleon    III 


close  to  his  bedroom,  where  there  was  little  room  for  any- 
thing besides  his  desk  and  his  armchair.  On  the  wall  in 
front  of  him  was  a  trophy  formed  entirely  of  arms :  rifles 
of  many  different  makes,  some  of  them  very  curiously 
wrought.  On  his  left  was  an  enormous  cupboard  in  which 
he  kept  his  most  precious  papers. 

At  the  bottom  of  this  cupboard  were  laid  enormous 
folios  containing  all  the  letters  of  his  youth  and  the  un- 
published correspondence  of  various  members  of  the 
Imperial  family;  lastly,  a  big  volume  bound  in  red  which 
contained — and  still  contains — the  memoirs,  also  unpub- 
lished of  Queen  Hortense. 

When  M.  Franceschini  Pietri  was  absent,  the  Emperor 
employed  Count  Davillier,  Count  Clary,  and  myself  to 
copy  the  pages  of  a  memoir  on  the  military  operations  of 
1870,  and  to  correct  the  proofs  when  they  came  back  from 
the  printer.  He  allowed  me  to  submit  alterations  to  him, 
and  I  have  never  had  a  pupil  or  student  during  my  career 
as  a  teacher  who  accepted  with  more  simplicity,  good  feel- 
ing, and  gratitude  the  corrections  which  I  proposed,  than 
did  the  Imperial  author  of  the  "Life  of  Caesar."  I  was 
almost  taken  aback  by  his  promptitude  in  approving  my 
suggestions. 

On  one  point,  however,  he  never  gave  way;  he  would 
never  fix  responsibilities  on  others.  One  day  I  took  the 
liberty  of  pointing  out  to  him  the  contrast  between  the 
perfect  clearness  of  his  oral  explanations  and  the  obscurity 
of  his  writing.  He  replied  with  a  sad  smile:  "It  is  be- 
cause I  wish  to  justify  myself  without  accusing  others" 
— a  difficult  task,  even  impossible,  as  he  came  gradually 
to  find  out. 

I  long  possest  a  sheet  of  paper,  the  sight  of  which 
moved   me   strangely,    written    in   the   Emperor's   hand, 

247 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

mangled  and  cut  up  by  a  hundred  erasures.  It  was  a 
page  in  which  he  described  the  battle  of  Sedan,  and  it 
carried  the  marks  of  those  generous  scruples  which  had 
agitated  his  soul  whilst  writing  the  account.  This  page 
unfortunately  disappeared  from  my  papers  in  some  un- 
accountable way. 

The  Emperor  also  busied  himself  with  the  invention 
of  a  new  mortar,  which  was  to  have  been  another  big 
improvement  after  the  mitrailleuse,  but  at  the  time  of  his 
death  the  invention  had  not  got  beyond  the  first  stages. 

He  installed  a  turning-lathe  in  front  of  one  of  the 
windows  in  the  billiard-room,  and  he  often  set  it  working 
to  replace  by  this  exercise  his  "constitutional"  walk 
when  the  weather  was  unfavorable.  I  have  two  egg-cups 
that  were  turned  by  the  Emperor  at  this  time,  which  are 
very  gracefully  fluted.1 

The  Empress  was  wont  to  make  her  first  appearance 
at  luncheon.  By  this  time  she  had  usually  received  a 
heap  of  letters,  and  glanced  through  a  dozen  newspapers, 
English  or  French. 

It  was  she  who  kept  us  posted  up  in  the  news  which 
she  discust  with  the  one  or  two  visitors  who  had  arrived 
from  the  Continent  either  the  night  before  or  the  same 
morning. 

The  Emperor,  no  less  reserved  at  Camden  Place  than 
at  the  Tuileries,  put  in  a  word  here  and  there,  and  kept 
politics  out  of  the  discussion  when  he  thought  it  desirable 
to  do  so.  The  afternoon  was  the  time  devoted  to  audi- 
ences. The  Emperor  usually  gave  them  whilst  smoking 
his  cigar,  or  walking  up  and  down  the  corridor  with  slow 

1  It  was  not  the  first  time  that  Napoleon  III  essayed  the  work  of  a  turner. 
At  Saint  Cloud  in  the  drawing-room,  through  which  one  passed  from  the  dining- 
room  into  the  garden,  there  was  a  chair  which  he  had  made  entirely 
himself. 

248 


Photo-  II     >  P.  Dou-nry 

NAPOI.KON   III    \NI)  Till.   PRINC'K   IMIMKIM.   IN    1S71 
Photographed  soon  after  arrival  111   Knuland 


Recreations   of  the    Prince   Imperial 

and  rhythmical  steps,  and  that  swaying  motion  from  right 
to  left  which  illness  and  age  were  making  more  languid 
and  heavy. 

The  Prince  went  out  as  in  France,  from  two  to  four, 
often  on  horseback  with  his  aide-de-camp  and  Louis 
Conneau;  with  him  sometimes  went  his  two  cousins1  and 
the  faithful  Demolliens,  the  groom,  who,  under  the  orders 
of  old  Bachon,  had  from  the  earliest  days  supervised  the 
Prince's  education  in  riding,  acted  as  escort. 

The  horse  ride  was  sometimes  replaced  by  an  excur- 
sion to  various  places  of  interest.  I  remember  a  visit  to 
the  Tower  of  London  in  company  with  Princess  Metter- 
nich  and  the  Duchesse  de  Mouchy,  and  a  delightful  day 
at  Knole,  near  Sevenoaks,  where,  among  many  curious 
souvenirs,  there  are  so  many  beautiful  works  of  art.  It 
was  there  that  the  Prince  first  became  acquainted  with  the 
work  of  Reynolds  and  Gainsborough. 

Lord  Sydney  took  him  to  Westminster,  acting  as 
cicerone;  and  it  was  the  Speaker  himself — Mr.  Brand,  if 
I  recollect  rightly — who  explained  to  him  the  customs  of 
Parliament. 

By  the  Queen's  invitation  he  was  present  at  a  review 
near  Hampton   Court. 

Another  day  he  went  to  a  rural  fete  at  Farningham, 
where  there  is  an  agricultural  colony  something  like  our 
Mettray;  there  he  said  a  few  words  expressing  his  interest 
— it  was  his  first  speech  in  English.  Thus,  little  by  little, 
he  was  initiated  into  English  life,  and  he  entered  into 
relations  with  all  classes. 

The  Empress  also  would  sometimes  make  excursions 
near  or  far  during  the  afternoon.  I  accompanied  her  on 
an  interesting  visit  to  the  prison  at  Woking,  where  she  had 

1  The  nieces  of  the  Empress,  already  mentioned  (Translator's  Note). 

249 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

as  guide  Colonel  Du  Cane,  Inspector-General  of  this 
service.  She  was  recognized  there  by  an  unhappy  French- 
man, an  old  soldier  of  our  army  in  Italy,  who  was  ex- 
piating, by  I  know  not  how  many  years  of  prison,  the 
crime  of  having  taken  a  pair  of  boots  from  outside  the  door 
of  a  room  in  an  hotel!  The  Empress  obtained  the  man's 
pardon. 

Another  day  I  went  with  her  to  the  Jesuit  church  in 
Farm  Street.  Whilst  she  was  in  the  confessional  someone 
began  to  improvise  on  the  organ,  and  I  was  told  that  it  was 
Gounod.  This  incident  imprest  me  greatly,  so  much  so 
that  I  used  it  later  in  one  of  my  novels. 

At  five  o'clock  tea  was  served,  at  first  in  the  hall,  and 
later  in  the  little  drawing-room.  We  often  forgot  the  time 
and  talked  on,  sometimes  until  close  on  7  o'clock  (the 
dinner  hour),  and  then  everyone  fled  in  haste  to  dress  as 
the  gong  in  the  corridor  announced  the  first  summons  to 
dinner. 

Dinner  over,  the  men  went  into  the  smoking-room,  and 
from  there  to  billiards.  The  ladies  settled  themselves 
round  the  table  in  the  large  drawing-room.  The  Comtesse 
Clary,  Madame  Lebreton  and  Mademoiselle  de  Larminat 
used  to  busy  themselves  with  needlework.  Dr.  Conneau 
and  the  Due  de  Bassano  played  patience.  Very  often  the 
Emperor  would  do  the  same.  Or  else  he  would  sit  and 
muse  in  a  big  armchair  near  the  porcelain  fireplace, 
wrapt  in  a  cloud  of  cigaret  smoke. 

When  no  stranger  was  present  and  there  was  no  im- 
portant topic  to  discuss  we  talked  little,  and  the  silence 
was  broken  only  by  the  patience  players,  who  mutually 
accused  each  other  of  dodging. 

From  the  billiard-room  came  the  sound  of  the  ivory 
balls  furiously  clashing  against  each  other.    "There,"  said 

250 


The   Empress's   Curtsey 


the  Emperor,  "that  must  be  Corvisart  making  a  cannon!" 
Or  else  a  hint  of  some  refrain,  or  a  scrap  of  Offenbach 
floated  in  from  the  hall,  where  the  young  people  were 
grouped  around  the  grand  piano.  At  half-past  nine  the 
Prince  went  to  bed,  and  I  said  "Good-night"  to  him  after 
being  present  at  his  prayers. 

At  eleven  o'clock  the  Empress  rose  and  from  the  door- 
way, as  of  old  at  the  Tuileries,  she  acknowledged  by  a 
curtsey  our  profound  obeisances. 

This  curtsey  she  performed  with  supreme  elegance; 
and  this  exquisite  curtsey,  of  which  she  had  made  a  work 
of  art,  charmed  our  eyes  at  Farnborough  as  well  as  at 
Chislehurst  up  to  the  day  when  age  and  its  infirmities  in- 
tervened. It  was  the  last  and  only  vestige  of  Imperial 
etiquet  which  the  Empress  retained  in  her  exile. 

It  makes  me  smile  to  find  myself — having  known  so 
many  sad  misfortunes  and  sorrows — mourning  over  the 
Empress's  curtsey!  Yet  that  curtsey  meant  so  much!  It 
was  the  symbol  of  so  many  vanished  graces  and 
splendors ! 

The  Emperor  and  Empress  never  went  out  in  the 
evening.  The  Prince  often  went  to  the  theater.  We  went 
with  him  to  hear  Patti  at  Covent  Garden  and  Nilsson  at 
Drury  Lane;  we  also  saw  Irving  and  Miss  Bateman  in 
Charles  /,  which  was  one  of  the  illustrious  actor's  great- 
est successes. 

On  Sundays  the  order  of  the  day  was  a  little  different. 
The  Emperor  and  Empress  went  on  foot  to  the  Church 
of  St.  Mary  to  hear  high  Mass,  and  returned  in  the  same 
manner  across  the  common.  This  afforded  the  French  in 
London  a  chance  to  see  the  exiles,  and  they  would  gather 
in  groups  on  the  road  to  salute  them.  The  Catholic  priest 
was  an  Irishman  named  Father  O'Connor,  an  excellent 

251 


Recollections    of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

man,  with  rather  brusque  manners.  He  was  soon  changed 
for  another  priest  who  spoke  French  very  well,  having 
been  in  the  seminary  at  St.  Sulpice.  Father  Goddard, 
who  was  made  Prelate  of  the  Chamber  by  Pius  IX,  and 
confirmed  in  that  position  by  Leo  XIII,  whilst  still  re- 
taining his  parish  of  Chislehurst,  used  to  come  to  lunch 
at  Camden  Place  after  Mass. 

After  lunch  the  dining-room  was  transformed  into  a 
fencing  gallery,  and  the  worthy  fencing  master,  Bertrand, 
would  arrive  from  London  to  preside  over  the  meeting, 
where  I  have  seen  at  practice  swordsmen  of  great  repute, 
such  as  Bartholony  and  Fery  d'Escland.  The  3  o'clock 
train  brought  a  veritable  crowd  of  friends,  and  the  rooms 
soon  became  full.  One  day  Madame  Nilsson  sang  in  the 
hall  throughout  the  afternoon;  another  time  Sullivan,  in- 
troduced by  Madame  Conneau,  improvised  for  hours  on 
the  piano.  Patti  came  also,  but  as  the  Marquise  de  Caux, 
and  her  voice  was  never  heard  at  Camden  Place.  When 
the  weather  was  fine  tea  was  served  on  the  lawn;  brightly 
drest  ladies  rustled  their  skirts  gracefully  over  the  grass, 
parasols  waved,  and  the  sound  of  feminine  voices  rose  like 
the  chattering  of  an  aviary  across  the  branches  of  the  old 
cedar  planted  by  Camden. 

Such  was  life  at  Chislehurst,  and,  as  in  all  other  groups 
of  human  beings  that  are  brought  together  by  circum- 
stances rather  than  choice,  there  were  amongst  them 
divergencies  of  thought,  rivalries,  and  antipathies  which 
beneath  the  outwardly  calm  surface  produced  whirlpools 
and  eddies.  There  were  some  who  could  not  understand 
one  another,  and  others,  perhaps,  whose  hearts  were  too 
well  attuned  for  their  own  comfort  and  happiness.  But 
these  things  are  not  for  the  world's  ear,  and  I  sometimes 
take  a  strange  and  melancholy  pleasure  in  musing  over 

252 


Hours   of  Perfect   Understanding 

many  secrets  which  will  die  with  me.  It  is,  however,  my 
duty  to  say  that  during  those  last  hours  of  married  life 
perfect  sympathy  and  understanding  existed  between  the 
Emperor  and  Empress. 

I  have  said  that  after  the  revolution  of  September  she 
gave  him  back  her  old  affection;  I  will  now  justify  this  as- 
sertion. When  the  Empress  knew  the  details  concerning 
the  fatal  first  of  September,  when  she  knew  the  real  truth 
about  the  man  branded  by  his  enemies  as  "the  coward  of 
Sedan,"  she  forgot  all  that  she  had  felt  and  said  in  the  wild 
excitement  of  the  first  shock.  She  forgot  it  all  as  com- 
pletely as  a  man  forgets  what  he  has  said  or  done  in  a  con- 
dition of  madness  or  intoxication.  One  of  the  witnesses  of 
these  painful  scenes  remembered  them,  and  the  Empress 
was  profoundly  astonished  and  deeply  grieved.  It  hap- 
pened thus.  Admiral  Jurien  wished  to  give  to  the  readers 
of  the  Revue  des  Deux  Mondes  an  account  of  the  hap- 
penings of  that  terrible  month  during  which  the  Empress 
had  been  in  some  manner  confided  to  his  care.  His  inten- 
tion was  to  bring  out,  careless  of  injury  to  anyone  soever, 
the  fine  traits  of  that  character  which  he  admired  so  pro- 
foundly; her  courage,  her  self-abnegation,  and  her  patriot- 
ism. But  in  these  loyally  meant  revelations  he  had  made 
some  imprudent  or  premature  disclosures,  and  passed  eu- 
logies which  could  not  but  be  maliciously  misinterpreted 
by  the  special  public  for  whom  the  article  was  intended. 

The  Admiral  sent  his  manuscript  to  the  Empress  at 
Camden  Place  to  assure  himself  that  he  had  not  exceeded 
the  limit  which  seemed  to  her  discreet.  She  studied  the 
manuscript  and  made  various  observations,  which  she 
asked  me  to  put  in  writing  and  transmit  to  the  Admiral 
with  an  explanatory  letter.  I  have  kept  the  rough  copy 
of  this  letter,  and  I  find  in  it  this  significant  passage:  "If 

253 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

among  these  observations  there  is  one  that  above  all  others 
touches  Her  Majesty's  heart,  it  is  that  which  concerns  the 
Emperor  and  the  feelings  which  she  has  never  ceased  to 
entertain  for  him.  The  thought  that  your  account  repre- 
sents her  as  having  imagined  for  one  instant  that  the 
Emperor  was  unworthy  of  her  fills  the  Empress  with 
sorrow.  She  would  prefer  the  most  cruel  insults  of  her 
enemies  to  such  an  appreciation  from  a  friend."  At  the 
bottom  of  her  heart  perhaps  she  reproached  herself  for 
having  doubted  the  Emperor  for  a  moment,  and  set  off  this 
wrong  she  had  done  him  against  his  own  offenses  towards 
her. 

In  the  autumn  of  1 870,  accompanied  by  only  one 
person,  and  with  the  utmost  secrecy,  she  went  to  Wilhelms- 
hohe  and  remained  only  a  few  hours  with  the  prisoner. 
Some  days  after  her  return  she  said  to  me,  "No  one  really 
knows  the  Emperor.  They  fancy  that  he  is  impervious 
to  all  emotions  because  his  manner  is  cold  and  reserved. 
They  do  not  know  him.  .  .  .  When  I  arrived  he  received 
me  quite  calmly  and  maintained  absolute  self-control  so 
long  as  strangers  were  present,  but  when  we  were 
alone!  .  .  ."  She  said  no  more,  but  her  tone  let  me 
imagine  the  loving  embrace  with  which  he  had  retaken 
possession  of  her  heart,  the  last  treasure  and  the  only 
Empire  that  were  left  to  him. 

One  evening  at  Farnborough  many  years  after  we  were 
sitting  round  the  table  where  the  Empress  usually  sat 
after  dinner.  She  happened  to  come  across,  and  she  read 
aloud  to  us,  a  certain  article  in  a  newspaper  which  men- 
tioned the  profound  affection  that  the  Emperor  had  never 
ceased  to  feel  for  her.  Her  eyes  filled  with  tears  and  her 
voice  shook.  She  could  not  continue,  and  she  passed  the 
paper  to  my  wife  to  finish  reading  the  article. 

254 


A    Painful   Anniversary 


We  felt  that  night  that,  in  spite  of  the  Emperor's  moral 
weaknesses  from  which  she  had  suffered  so  much,  she 
knew  that  he  had  really  loved  her,  and  that  the  recollec- 
tion of  that  love,  which  had  brought  her  such  vicissitudes 
of  destiny,  was  now  unmixed  with  bitterness. 

I  was  staying  with  my  relatives  in  the  summer  of  1 871 
when  September  brought  the  painful  anniversary.  The 
morning  of  the  4th  brought  me  a  letter  from  the  Empress 
which  began  thus: 

"I  would  not  like  this  sad  anniversary  to  pass  without 
recalling  to  your  remembrance,  my  dear  Monsieur  Filon, 
the  hours  of  anguish  and  grief  that  you  have  shared  with 
me  last  year.  You  have,  by  a  devotion  proof  against  all 
trials,  softened  many  things,  and  I  want  to-day  to  thank 
you  for  it.  The  hours  which  have  still  to  drag  out  their 
length  before  to-morrow's  dawn  will  wake  in  me  as  an 
echo  a  pain  now  more  or  less  allayed,  but  a  sorrow  ever 
present.  All  seems  to  come  back  and  to  live  again.  I 
long  now — as  I  did  then — for  to-morrow  to  be  here; 
better  still,  for  forgetfulness,  without  which  there  can  be 
no  forgiveness.  So  long  as  memory  brings  back  one's 
past  feelings,  one  derives  no  comfort  from  the  passage  of 
time.  I  leave  to-morrow;  will  my  thoughts  change  with 
my  surroundings?" 

I  have  quoted  this  letter  to  show  with  what  kindly 
attentions  she  recognized  and  encouraged  the  devotion  of 
those  around  her.  Shortly  after  writing  this  letter  she 
went  to  Spain,  whilst  the  Emperor  took  a  holiday  at 
Torquay,  on  the  coast  of  Devon. 

I  came  back  to  Camden  Place  when  he  returned  there 
with  his  son.  I  found  the  Emperor  very  busy  reconstitut- 
ing the  Empress's  library,  which  had  disappeared  when  the 

255 


Recollections    of  the    Empress    Eugenie 

Tuileries  was  burnt  down;  he  wanted  this  new  library  to 
be  a  surprize  for  her  on  her  return. 

We  helped  him  compile  the  catalog,  and  he  arranged 
the  books,  of  which  the  bindings  were  exactly  similar  to 
the  old  ones  and  bore  the  "E"  surmounted  by  a  crown, 
stamped  with  the  die  which  had  been  luckily  rediscovered 
at  Fontaine's  shop  in  the  Passage  des  Panoramas.  The 
new  books  were  all  put  into  elegant  glass-fronted  book- 
cases, which,  placed  at  a  convenient  height,  adorned  the 
large  drawing-room. 

The  Empress  returned  from  Spain  in  December,  and 
life  at  Camden  Place  was  resumed  on  the  lines  I  have 
described.  The  Prince  during  the  whole  of  this  year 
1 871-1872  studied  at  King's  College,  London,  with  his 
friend  Conneau ;  this  necessitated  his  going  to  town  almost 
every  day. 

In  the  summer  of  1872  the  Empress  went  north.  She 
took  her  son  to  Scotland  and  then  returned  to  join  the 
Emperor  at  Brighton.  There  they  were  so  much  bothered 
by  the  curiosity  of  the  crowd  that  they  were  glad  to  take 
refuge  at  Cowes,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  where  they  found 
some  kind  of  privacy. 

After  spending  a  few  days  in  an  hotel  the  little  exiled 
Court  took  up  its  quarters  in  two  houses  situated  almost  at 
the  end  of  the  Parade;  that  in  which  the  Prince  lived  had 
the  queer  name  of  Pao-Shun,  which  its  owner,  an  old 
admiral,  had  no  doubt  given  it  in  remembrance  of  some 
voyage  in  the  Far  East. 

I   had   selected   for   my  study   a   tiny   room,   entirely 

papered  with  marine  charts,  from  which  one  had  a  view 

of  the  whole  of  the  Solent.     The  worthy  admiral  sitting 

there  might  well  have  fancied  himself  on  board  his  own 

ship  on  a  voyage  round  the  world.     The  Prince  tried  to 

256 


Summer   Relaxations 


cultivate  a  similar  illusion,  and  I  seized  this  opportunity 
of  improving  his  geography. 

September  was  a  beautiful  month  that  year  and  life 
passed  pleasantly  at  Cowes.  The  Prince  was  much  feted 
by  the  children  of  the  Earl  and  Countess  of  Harrington, 
whose  simple  and  cordial  hospitality  put  everyone  at  their 
ease. 

Baron  Henry  de  Worms,  who  had  been  one  of  the  most 
distinguished  pupils  of  our  College  Rollin,  and  who,  after 
being  President  of  the  Board  of  Trade,  was  raised  to  the 
peerage,  taught  the  Prince  to  swim  and  tried  to  amuse  him 
in  a  thousand  ways. 

The  Prince,  too,  had  found  companions  of  his  own  age 
in  the  young  Exshaws,  whose  grandfather,  M.  de  Riche- 
mont,  had  been  a  Senator  of  the  Empire. 

Two  or  three  young  and  very  charming  American 
ladies  introduced  an  atmosphere  of  gaiety  and  innocent 
flirtation  into  this  youthful  group,  which  was  beginning  to 
soften  to  feminine  influences.  Every  day  brought  some- 
thing new.  One  afternoon  there  would  be  a  tennis  party 
at  Carisbrooke  Castle,  near  the  window  by  which  Charles  I 
had  vainly  tried  to  escape  from  his  jailers;  another  time 
we  would  be  invited  on  board  one  of  the  yachts  for  a  few 
hours'  cruise. 

One  day  one  of  those  yachts  which  wander  about 
all  the  summer  dropt  anchor  in  the  Cowes  roadstead. 
It  belonged  to  the  Baroness  Meyer  de  Rothschild,  who 
had  made  it  her  home,  convinced  that  life  on  the  sea  was 
her  only  chance  of  health  in  view  of  a  disease  that  threat- 
ened her  life.  The  Prince  was  invited  to  visit  the  yacht 
and  spend  a  day  on  it  with  his  cousin  the  Duke  of  Alva. 

I  shall  always  remember  the  dignified  bearing  and  the 
melancholy  air  of  the  Baroness.     She  lived  in  the  sad 

257 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

anticipation  of  impending  death.  Her  daughter  Hannah 
de  Rothschild  (since  Countess  of  Rosebeiy)  surrounded 
her  with  every  loving  care,  and  received  her  visitors  with 
a  mixture  of  simplicity  and  reserve  which  greatly  im- 
prest me. 

The  Emperor  seldom  left  the  house,  and  the  Empress 
rarely  left  the  Emperor. 

They  returned  to  Camden  Place  in  the  first  days  of 
October,  and  Napoleon  Ill's  health  became  so  much 
worse  that  a  momentous  decision  became  necessary. 


258 


CHAPTER  XII 

JANUARY  9,  1873 

THE  Emperor  had  been  ill  for  a  long  time,  but  he 
deceived  himself  as  to  the  nature  of  his  malady  and 
refused  to  undergo  the  medical  examination  which 
was  indispensable.1  When  he  eventually  submitted  to 
this,  the  Prince  Imperial  had  just  taken  up  his  quarters 
with  me  at  Woolwich,  where  he  followed  the  course  at  the 
Royal  Military  Academy,  and  the  Emperor  himself  an- 
nounced the  result  of  the  consultation  to  his  son  in  a  brief 
note,  the  text  of  which  will  be  found  in  my  book  on  the 
Prince  Imperial. 

This  letter,  which  was  intended  to  reassure  the  Prince, 
was  far  from  giving  an  exact  idea  of  the  situation.  In 
reality  Sir  William  Gull  and  Sir  James  Paget  had  diag- 
nosed the  presence  of  a  stone  in  the  bladder  of  which  they 
could  not  exactly  determine  the  size  nor  the  consistence. 
They  had  recognized  that  this  was  a  very  grave  case  of 
long  standing. 

1  Dr.  Germain  See  was  the  only  physician,  it  seemed,  who  had,  previous  to  the 
year  1870,  formed  a  correct  diagnosis  of  the  malady.  He  had  exprest  his  opinion 
in  writing  and  delivered  this  diagnosis  signed,  and  in  a  sealed  envelope,  to 
the  head  physician.  He  was  convinced  that  the  communication  had  been  given 
to  the  august  patient.  On  the  death  of  the  Emperor  this  diagnosis  could  not 
be  found  among  his  papers.  On  Prince  Napoleon  questioning  Dr.  Conneau 
and  asking  what  he  had  done  with  it,  the  doctor  replied:  "I  have  given  it 
to  the  proper  person."  What  did  he  mean?  Prince  Napoleon  concluded  that 
"the  proper  person"  was  the  Empress.  This  amounted  to  accusing  her  of 
having  concealed,  not  only  from  the  public  but  from  the  Emperor  himself, 
the  only  really  useful  advice  which,  by  insisting  on  the  need  for  an  immediate  opera- 
tion, might  have  prolonged  his  life  for  several  years.  Alfred  Darimon  made  this 
accusation  public,  and  perhaps  to  this  day  certain  people  regard  it  as  estab- 
lished. However,  nothing  could  be  more  untrue.  The  Empress  had  no  knowl- 
edge whatever  of  this  opinion  of  Dr.  See's,  which,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Conneau,  was 
found  in  one  of  his  drawers  with  its  envelope  intact,  just  as  he  had  received  it  from 
Germain  See. 

259 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"What!"  said  Sir  William  to  Baron  Corvisart,  when 
coming  out  of  the  sick-room,  "did  that  man  actually 
endure  five  hours  on  horseback  on  the  field  of  battle  at 
Sedan?    He  must  have  suffered  agonies!" 

It  was  decided  that  an  operation  should  be  attempted, 
and  that  it  should  be  entrusted  to  Sir  Henry  Thompson, 
whose  reputation  as  a  surgeon  was  very  great.  The  opera- 
tion took  place  on  the  second  of  January.  On  this  occa- 
sion the  doctors  were  only  able  to  extract  a  tiny  portion  of 
the  stone,  but  they  satisfied  themselves  that  it  was  of  a 
phosphatic  nature  and  that,  in  consequence,  the  use  of 
lithotrity  was  possible.  A  second  operation  was  per- 
formed on  Monday,  January  6,  at  midday,  and  was  pro- 
nounced satisfactory.  On  January  7  and  8  the  patient 
appeared  to  suffer  less  pain,  but  he  was  delirious  at  in- 
tervals. 

"Where  is  Louis?"  he  asked  the  Empress,  who  had 
never  left  his  bedside. 

"He  is  at  Woolwich.  Do  you  wish  me  to  send  for 
him?" 

"No.    His  work  must  not  be  interrupted." 

Another  time,  finding  himself  alone  with  Dr.  Conneau, 
he  said  to  him: 

"We  did  not  behave  like  cowards  at  Sedan,  did  we, 
Conneau?" 

He  was  not  believed  to  be  in  imminent  danger  until 
the  morning  of  the  9th,  about  ten  o'clock,  when  his  pulse 
was  suddenly  found  to  be  weaker,  and  it  was  evident  that 
the  end  was  rapidly  approaching.  When  the  Prince  Im- 
perial, summoned  in  hot  haste,  arrived  about  half-past 
eleven  all  was  over.  He  fell  on  his  knees  before  the 
death-bed  and  fervently  repeated  aloud  the  Lord's 
Prayer. 

260 


Napoleon   in    Death 


Circumstances  having  detained  me  at  Woolwich,  I  did 
not  arrive  at  Camden  Place  until  half  an  hour  after  the 
Prince.  In  a  letter  which  I  wrote  to  my  family  the  follow- 
ing night  I  thus  described  what  I  had  seen  and  felt: 

"First  of  all  I  went  to  greet  tenderly  the  poor  boy, 
then  I  sought  the  Empress,  who  was  wandering  about  the 
house,  and  falling  on  my  knees  I  kissed  her  hand.  She 
said  to  me:  'Come  and  see  him!'  and  led  me  into  the 
Emperor's  room. 

"'Is  not  his  face  beautiful?'  she  said  to  me.  And  it 
was  true.  She  began  to  sob  and  had  to  withdraw.  I 
stayed  on  some  time  by  the  side  of  our  poor  master.  I 
then  went  away,  only  to  return  some  moments  later  with 
the  Prince,  who  wished  to  see  his  father  a  second  time. 
We  take  it  in  turns  to  watch  over  the  corpse,  and  as  my 
watch  is  from  half-past  two  to  five  in  the  morning,  I  have 
preferred  not  to  go  to  bed. 

"...  I  must  leave  off  here  to  go  into  the  mortuary 
chamber,  for  the  clock  is  striking  the  hour  for  my  vigil.  .  . 
This  long  gloomy  night  reminds  me  of  those  I  have  spent 
at  the  Tuileries,  in  the  Empress's  study,  in  August  and 
September,  1870.  Then  I  was  keeping  watch  at  the  death- 
bed of  the  Empire,  to-night  it  is  at  the  death-bed  of  the 
Emperor." 

The  Emperor  had  died  on  a  little  iron  bed,  placed  in 
a  corner  of  the  room.  He  was  now  laid  on  a  larger  bed 
which  had  been  used  for  the  fatal  operations  and  which 
was  placed  against  the  wall,  facing  the  window.  Day  and 
night,  from  the  hour  when  Napoleon  III  breathed  his  last 
until  his  coffin  passed  the  threshold  of  Camden  Place,  we 
relieved  one  another,  hour  by  hour,  to  watch  over  his  re- 
mains.   Two  Sisters  of  Saint  Joseph  were  continuously  in 

261 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

prayer.  The  chest  of  drawers  had  been  converted  into  an 
altar,  and  shining  upon  it  was  the  reliquary  known  as  "the 
talisman  of  Charlemagne."  The  violets,1  which  very  soon 
began  to  arrive  from  everywhere,  accumulated  in  great 
heaps  around  his  bed. 

Since  then  I  can  never  inhale  the  sweet  and  penetrating 
perfume  of  violets  without  instinctively  recalling  that  odor 
of  death  so  uncannily  associated  with  the  smell  of  these 
flowers  during  the  hours  of  the  long  winter  nights  which  I 
spent  by  the  funeral  couch  of  Napoleon  III. 

In  the  few  moments  of  leisure  left  me  I  made  hasty 
notes  on  all  that  passed  during  these  sad  days.  Here  are 
some  passages  which  may  be  of  interest: 

"January  n. — To-day,  Saturday,  the  body  of  the 
Emperor  has  been  embalmed.  It  was  then  drest  in  the 
uniform  of  a  Divisional  General.  Messieurs  Davillier, 
Clary,  Conneau  and  Pietri  had  the  honor  of  performing 
this  last  toilet.  The  Emperor  is  wearing,  besides  the 
grand  cordon  of  the  Legion  d'Honneur,  the  star  of  grand- 
officer  of  the  same  order,  the  Military  Medal  and  the 
Medaille  d'ltalie. 

"His  body  has  been  placed  in  a  leaden  coffin,  lined  with 
white,  which  rests  on  two  supports  draped  with  black  cloth. 
All  round  the  coffin  is  a  garland  of  violets.  A  large  wreath 
of  the  same  flowers  has  been  placed  at  the  foot  of  the 
coffin. 

"On  his  breast  rests  the  sword  with  a  little  cross,  which 
is  connected  with  traditions  of  the  family.  A  photograph 
of  the  Empress  and  one  of  the  Prince  Imperial  have  been 
placed  in  the  coffin,  close  to  His  Majesty's  heart. 

"  January  14. — The  Bonaparte  princes  go  to  fetch  the 

1  The  violet  was  the  Imperial  flower  (Translator's  Note). 
262 


Lying  in   State 

Prince  Imperial  from  Oak  Lodge,  where  he  has  spent  the 
night,1  and  to  bring  him  back  to  Camden  Place.  It  is  now 
eleven  o'clock.  The  one-time  dignitaries  of  the  Empire 
crowd  the  gallery,  which  is  entirely  hung  with  black.  The 
whole  Household  is  there.  I  have  never  seen  so  many  of 
them.  .  .  . 

"11.30. — The  arrival  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  and  of 
the  Duke  of  Edinburgh  is  announced.  The  Prince  Im- 
perial goes  to  receive  them  and  they  embrace.  They 
seem  much  moved.  The  Due  de  Bassano,  Grand  Cham- 
berlain, and  the  Due  de  Cambaceres,  Grand  Master 
of  the  Ceremonies,  conduct  the  English  princes  to  the 
coffin  of  Napoleon  III. 

"The  hall,  transformed  into  a  lying-in-state  chamber, 
is  lighted  by  silver  candelabra. 

"A  large  white  cross  occupies  the  wall  at  the  end.  The 
Imperial  crown,  also  white,  stands  out  on  the  black  hang- 
ings. An  immense  French  tricolor  flag  forms  the  canopy. 
In  the  center  of  the  hall,  on  a  sloping  support,  is  placed  the 
Emperor's  coffin,  round  which  hang,  in  long  folds,  black 
velvet  draperies  bearing  the  arms  of  the  Empire.  A 
plaited  rope  in  black  silk  and  silver  separates  the  gallery 
from   this   funeral   sanctuary. 

"Two  ecclesiastics  and  six  officers  of  the  household,  in 
deep  mourning,  stand  motionless  beside  their  master. 

"The  Emperor  is  seen  lying  at  full  length  in  his  white 
coffin;  he  is  drest  in  his  general's  uniform,  with  his 
sword  by  his  side,  his  kepi  at  his  feet,  the  ribbon  of  the 
Legion  d'Honneur  across  his  body.  On  his  breast,  with 
a  mother-of-pearl  crucifix,  rests  the  Star  of  the  Legion, 
the  Military  Medal,  the  Medal  for  the  Campaign  of 
Italy,  and  the  Medal  for  Military  Valor,  a  Swedish  order 

1  A  neighboring  house  then  occupied  by  the  Comtc  and  Comtcsse  Clary. 

263 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

only  awarded  to  those  Sovereigns  who  have  been  vic- 
torious in  battle. 

"The  Emperor's  moustache  and  imperial  are  as  he 
used  to  wear  them;  his  features  have  not  altered.  In 
their  pallor  and  rigidity  they  retain  an  imposing  serenity. 
As  one  looks  upon  him  the  word  'majesty,'  by  which 
etiquet  greets  emperors  and  kings,  comes  naturally  to 
one's  lips. 

"Noon. — The  English  princes  salute  Napoleon's  coffin, 
they  go  to  take  leave  of  the  Empress,  and  then 
withdraw. 

"The  Prince  Imperial,  followed  by  his  relatives  and 
the  household,  approaches  in  his  turn.  Stifling  his  emo- 
tion, he  kneels,  sprinkles  holy  water  on  the  body,  and 
goes  out,  after  having  embraced  his  mother. 

"The  procession  now  begins.  First  come  the  most 
illustrious  servants  of  the  Empire,  then  all  the  French 
people  who  have  journeyed  hither  to  salute  Napoleon  III 
for  the  last  time,  and  lastly  the  members  of  the  immense 
crowd  that  has  gathered  at  the  approaches  to  the  park- 
They  enter  by  the  large  gate,  follow  the  avenue,  enter 
the  gallery  by  a  side  door,  and  pass  without  stopping 
before  the  coffin,  then  leave  the  house  and  the  park  by 
another  way. 

"Standing  behind  the  Imperial  coffin,  I  watch  these 
thousands  of  figures  which  follow  one  another,  appearing 
to  glide  rather  than  to  walk,  so  slow,  regular  and  con- 
tinuous is  the  movement  which  carries  them  forward.  The 
gleam  of  the  tapers  falls  full  on  their  pale  faces  as  they 
crowd  one  against  another  to  stare  with  wide  open  eyes, 
or  lean  forward  eagerly  in  order  to  see  better  and  to 
treasure  for  ever,  imprinted  on  their  memory,  the  picture 
on  which  their  eyes  rest  during  these  thirty  seconds. 

264 


French   Mourners 


"From  time  to  time  a  hand  is  stretched  out  from  the 
crowd  and  lays  a  wreath  or  a  bouquet  at  the  Emperor's 
feet.  Flowers — above  all  violets — accumulate  minute  by- 
minute.  One  can  make  out  the  inscriptions  on  the 
wreaths:  'To  the  Emperor  Napoleon.'  'Farewell.' 
'Remembrance  from  your  Fatherland.' 

"The  stillness  is  profound.  No  other  sound  is  heard 
but  the  dull  shuffling  movement  of  the  crowd.  Now  and 
again,  however,  come  exclamations  of  tenderness  and 
sorrow  in  French  and  English.  A  man's  voice — the  voice 
of  a  soldier — cries  out  in  passing:  'Farewell,  my  Em- 
peror!' An  old  woman  begs  to  be  allowed  'to  see  him 
for  an  instant  longer.'  One  can  hear  stifled  sobs  here 
and  there. 

"The  hours  roll  by,  darkness  falls,  one  can  hardly 
distinguish  the  tricolor  flag  that  floats  over  the  house. 
The  dimly  lighted  countryside  is  full  of  confused  sounds 
and  the  dull  shuffling  of  feet.  The  march  past  continues; 
about  sixty  thousand  people  have  passed  through.  It  is 
six  o'clock  and  the  crowd  begins  to  grow  less. 

"9  p.  m. — Several  hundred  French  people,  who  have 
just  disembarked,  are  allowed  to  enter.  Then  the  gates 
and  doors  are  shut. 

"  10  p.  m. — There  are  now  around  the  dead  Emperor 
only  Prince  Louis-Lucien,  Prince  Napoleon-Charles,  and 
five  or  six  faithful  servants,  Comte  Davillier,  Comte 
Clary,  Baron  Corvisart,  Dr.  Conneau,  and  Messieurs 
Pictri  and  Filon.  They  have  all  come  to  kiss  for  the  last 
time  the  cold  hand  of  Napoleon  III,  on  which  are  two 
rings — his  own  wedding  ring  and  the  ring  which  was  on 
the  finger  of  Napoleon  I  when  he  died  at  St.  Helena. 

"M.  Rouher  dictates  the  official  report,  which  describes 

down   to  the   smallest   detail   the   costume  of  the  dead 

265 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

Emperor  and  the  particulars  of  his  lying-in-state.  The 
assistants  place  bouquets  of  immortelles  in  the  coffin. 
They  divide  among  themselves  some  flowers  which  have 
touched  the  body  of  Napoleon  III. 

"The  black  draperies  are  removed  from  the  coffin, 
which  is  an  elm  coffin  lined  with  lead.  The  lid  is  put 
on;  the  assistants  have  now  looked  upon  the  face  of  the 
Emperor  for  the  last  time.  It  is  a  quarter  to  ten.  The 
coffin  lid  is  hermetically  sealed  by  running  lead  into 
the  grooves.  A  plate  is  affixt  bearing  the  following 
inscription : 

NAPOLEON  III 

Empereur  des  Francais 

ne  a  Paris   le   20  Avril    1808 

Mort  a  Camden  Place 

Chislehurst 

le  9  Janvier  1873. 

R.  I.  P. 

"The  leaden  coffin  is  then  placed  in  a  second  coffin 
of  oak  lined  with  velvet,  ornamented  with  brass  nails 
and  chased  metal  handles.  The  lid,  also  covered  with 
velvet,  is  solidly  screwed  down.  It  bears  a  plate  similar 
to  the  other,  but  with  the  addition  of  the  imperial  crown 
and  the  cross. 

"The  heaps  of  flowers  left  during  the  day  almost 
cover  the  black  draped  supports  on  which  the  coffin  is 
resting. 

"A  quarter  past  midnight. — Everybody  has  left  the 
mortuary  except  the  two  Sisters  of  St.  Joseph,  who  have 
kept  watch  over  the  Emperor  for  six  nights,  an  ex-chap- 
lain of  the  Tuileries,  and  the  officer  of  the  household 
on  duty  (one  of  those  whom  we  have  so  often  mentioned). 

266 


The   Funeral 

"The  Empress  descends  the  stairs  accompanied  by 
the  Duchesse  de  Mouchy,  Comtesse  Clary,  the  Vicom- 
tesse  Aguado,  and  Mesdames  de  Saulcy  and  Lebreton- 
Bourbaki. 

"Her  Majesty  kneels  down  on  a  black-draped  rest. 
She  passes  the  long  night  in  prayer. 

"It  is  twenty  years  since  she  was  married  at  Notre 
Dame  to  him  whose  mortal  remains  now  lie  beside  her. 

"It  is  exactly  fourteen  years  to  the  day  since  she  was 
sitting  by  his  side  in  the  carriage  which  drove  them  to 
the  Opera  on  the  night  of  Orsini's  attempt  at  assassination. 

"January  15. — Ever  since  eight  o'clock  the  crowd  has 
been  gathering  at  the  park  gates,  round  the  Catholic 
Church,  and  on  the  roads  to  be  followed  by  the  funeral. 

"At  half  past  ten  o'clock  the  house  and  park  are  filled 
with  French  visitors. 

"The  body  is  taken  up  after  the  usual  prayers. 

"The  Prince  Imperial  leaves  the  house,  followed  by 
the  Princes  and  by  his  officers.  His  mourning  cloak,  half 
open,  reveals  the  grand  cordon  of  the  Legion  d'Honneur. 

"The  coffin  is  placed  in  a  hearse  bearing  the  Imperial 
arms,  and  drawn  by  eight  horses  draped  in  black  velvet. 

"The  procession  moves  off  in  the  following  order: 

"A  deputation  of  Parisian  workmen,  carrying  a  tri- 
color flag.  (Some  astonishment  is  exprest  that  the  staff 
which  supports  our  national  ensign  is  only  a  wretched 
stick,  but  we  are  told  that  the  original  banner  carried  by 
the  workmen  has  been  confiscated  at  the  French  frontier, 
and  that  the  man  who  carried  it  is  now  in  one  of  the 
prisons  of  the  Republic).  Behind  the  workmen  walk  the 
clergy,  after  the  flag  comes  the  Cross.  It  is  followed  by 
the  French  ecclesiastics,  among  whom  one  notices  several 
Canons  of  St.  Denis  and  the  Emperor's  almoners. 

267 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"Sixteen  bearers  follow  carrying  black  rods  and  with 
hats  covered  with  crape. 

"Next  comes  the  hearse  which  bears  the  Emperor's 
body,  each  horse  being  led  by  a  man  in  deep  mourning.  At 
the  sides  of  the  hearse,  to  the  right  and  left,  come,  first  the 
seven  persons  who  compose  the  Emperor's  household  and 
that  of  the  Prince  at  Chislehurst;  then  the  principal 
officers  of  the  Crown,  to  wit,  the  Due  de  Bassano,  the  Due 
de  Cambaceres,  General  Fleury,  the  Prince  de  la  Mos- 
kowa  and  General  Frossard.  Then  the  Prince  Imperial, 
followed  by  Prince  Napoleon  and  the  other  Princes  of  the 
Imperial  Family. 

"Next  in  the  procession  come  the  representatives  of 
the  English  Royal  Family  (Lord  Sydney,  Lord  Cowley, 
Lord  Suffield,  etc.),  the  generals  sent  by  the  King  of  Italy 
to  represent  the  Court  of  the  Quirinal  and  the  Italian 
people,  and  the  Ministers  of  foreign  Powers  in  London. 

"Then  follows  an  illustrious  group  of  men,  including 
two  marshals  and  an  admiral  of  France,  twenty-seven  ex- 
Ministers,  seventeen  generals,  six  vice-admirals  and  rear- 
admirals,  fourteen  members  of  the  National  Assembly,  a 
hundred  Senators  and  Deputies  of  the  Empire,  the  whole 
of  the  Imperial  households,  many  notable  members  of  the 
Imperial  Civil  Service,  and  lastly  four  thousand  French 
persons  of  all  ranks  brought  together  by  a  common  sorrow. 

"This  imposing  procession  passes  through  the  gates 
and  advances  towards  the  village  of  Chislehurst.  It  is 
impossible  to  estimate  the  numbers  of  the  crowd  which 
lined  the  route.  Every  head  is  bared.  A  large  number 
of  English  people  are  wearing  in  their  buttonholes  either 
immortelles  in  token  of  mourning  or  violets,  the  Imperial 
flower. 

"They  look  with   respectful   eyes  upon  this   sad  yet 

268 


Bearing  of  the    Prince 


glorious  spectacle,  which  belies  the  character  for  careless- 
ness and  ingratitude  attributed  to  our  country  on  such 
slender  grounds.  All  eyes  rest  more  particularly  upon 
the  young  Prince  who  walks  with  a  firm  step  behind  his 
father's  coffin.  Words  of  sympathy  for  him,  murmured  in 
low  tones,  are  on  everyone's  lips:  'Poor  dear!'  'Poor 
Prince!'  'Poor  darling!'  People  gaze  for  long  at  his 
pale  and  manly  features,  the  expression  of  which  has  aged 
ten  years  in  eight  days. 

"The  procession  takes  half  an  hour  to  traverse  the 
distance  from  Camden  Place  to  the  Church  of  Saint  Mary. 
At  last  it  reaches  the  gates  of  the  cemetery  and  eight  men 
raise  the  Imperial  coffin  on  their  shoulders.  A  pall  of 
violet  velvet,  embroidered  with  the  Napoleonic  bees  and 
traversed  by  a  large  cross,  is  thrown  over  the  coffin  and 
over  those  who  carry  it  with  solemn  steps. 

"The  Catholic  Bishop  of  Southwark,  assisted  by  his 
clergy  and  by  the  Abbe  Goddard,  rector  of  Saint  Mary's, 
comes  forward  to  meet  the  body  at  the  church  door.  It  is 
put  down  at  the  entrance  to  the  chancel  and  the  service 
commences. 

"Barely  two  hundred  people  can  find  room  in  the 
church.  The  Princes  and  Princesses  are  in  the  choir,  on 
the  right-hand  side  of  the  nave  are  the  representatives  of 
the  Royal  Families,  on  the  left  are  about  eighty  French 
and  English  ladies;  amongst  them  we  note  Lady  Cowley, 
Lady  Sydney,  the  Marechales  Saint-Arnaud,  MalakofT, 
Regnault  de  St.  Jean-d'Angely  and  Canrobert,  Mme. 
Fleury,  Princess  de  la  Moskowa,  Mmes.  de  la  Poeze, 
Carette,  de  Sancy-Parabere,  de  Saulcy,  and  Aguado — the 
last  five  are  ladies-in-waiting  to  the  Empress. 

"The  Chislehurst  household  and  the  great  officials  are 
standing  about  the  catafalque. 

269 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

"The  principal  personages  of  the  Empire  occupy  the 
body  of  the  church. 

"Stifled  sobs  are  followed  by  the  hush  of  prayer.  At 
the  moment  of  the  Elevation  the  silence  is  so  profound  in 
this  kneeling  crowd  that  each  one,  isolated  in  his  own  grief, 
might  easily  believe  himself  to  be  alone  in  the  church. 

"The  ceremony  over,  absolution  is  pronounced  by  the 
bishop.  The  coffin  is  placed  in  a  tiny  side  chapel,  which 
can  only  be  reached  by  a  narrow  arch.  The  Due  de 
Bassano  and  others  of  the  intimate  retinue  of  the  Emperor 
advance  and  place  upon  the  coffin  the  wreaths  which  had 
been  heaped  up  at  the  foot  of  the  catafalque.  The  iron 
gate  is  then  closed.  Those  present  make  way  for  the 
Prince  Imperial,  who  is  the  first  to  sprinkle  Holy  Water 
on  the  coffin,  and  then  withdraws. 

"1.30  p.  m. — On  returning  from  the  church  the  Prince 
interviews  the  faithful  ones  who  have  come  to  attend  his 
father's  funeral.  When  he  arrives  at  the  group  of  French 
workmen  an  incident  occurs.  The  man  who  carries  the 
banner,  in  reply  to  the  Prince's  words,  cries,  'Long  live 
the  Emperor!    Long  live  Napoleon  IV!' 

"'The  Emperor  is  dead,'  said  the  Prince  to  him,  'but 
France  lives.    You  should  cry:  'Long  live  France!' 

"The  crowd  does  not  hear  these  words  and  repeats: 
'Long  live  the  Emperor!' 

"Those  who  were  already  leaving  come  running  back. 
This  crowd,  a  moment  ago  so  calm  and  collected,  now 
becomes  so  tumultuous  that  we  experience  some  difficulty 
in  getting  the  Prince  back  to  the  house  to  escape  this 
unexpected  manifestation." 

I  take  from  my  diary  one  last  recollection,  dated  the 

following  day,  January  16: 

270 


An   Affecting  Scene 


"2  p.  m. — Almost  all  the  French  people  who  were  pres- 
ent at  the  Emperor's  funeral  yesterday  have  come  back 
to  see  the  Empress. 

"The  Empress  comes  down  the  stairs  leaning  on  her 
son's  arm.  She  first  sees  the  ladies  standing  in  line  in 
the  dining-room  as  they  did  yesterday.  Gradually  her 
tears  choke  her  utterance  and  her  emotion  paralyzes  her, 
but  she  insists  upon  going  through  with  this  last  sad  long 
review  of  her  friends.  It  is  agony  indeed,  yet  it  brings  her 
some  comfort. 

"She  enters  the  gallery,  holds  out  her  hand  in  succes- 
sion to  those  she  finds  there.  They  all  throw  themselves  on 
their  knees  and  kiss  the  Empress's  hand,  weeping.  Men 
who  have  probably  not  shed  a  tear  for  fifty  years  are  sob- 
bing audibly.  I  believe  that  rarely,  if  ever,  has  a  crowd 
displayed  collectively  such  an  intensity  of  grief,  and  those 
who  have  witnessed  it  are  not  likely  to  see  such  a  spectacle 
again. 

"At  the  feet  of  this  widow,  enveloped  in  mourning,  was 
the  whole  of  French  society  representing  the  twenty  years 
of  the  Second  Empire,  swearing  allegiance,  not  in  obedi- 
ence but  in  sorrow.  And  amid  these  representatives  of 
various  aristocracies  was  the  workman  who  on  the  pre- 
vious day  had  carried  the  tricolor  flag.  If  anything  could 
have  intensified  our  emotion  it  was  to  have  seen  this  man, 
on  his  knees  like  the  others,  kissing  the  hand  of  the  Em- 
press, weeping  and  murmuring  incoherent  words  of 
affection  and  regret  for  Napoleon  III." 


271 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  EMPRESS  EFFACES  HERSELF 

THE  death  of  the  Emperor  imposed  anew  on  the 
Empress  heavy  responsibilities  from  which  she  be- 
lieved she  had  escaped.  The  first  question  which 
presented  itself  was  the  education  of  the  Prince.  People 
in  the  party  wondered  whether  he  would  return  to  his 
student's  life  at  Woolwich  or  whether  he  would  hold  him- 
self at  the  disposition  of  the  Imperialists,  in  view  of  cir- 
cumstances which  might  arise  at  any  moment.  But  this 
question  was  not  even  raised.  The  Prince  himself  had 
made  up  his  mind  to  finish  his  studies  creditably,  and 
would  not  have  allowed  himself  to  be  drawn  away  from 
them.  Three  weeks  after  the  funeral  of  Napoleon  III  he 
went  back  to  his  little  house  at  Woolwich  with  his  tutor 
and  with  Louis  Conneau,  whom  the  English  Government 
had  also  authorized  to  follow  the  course  at  the  Military 
Academy. 

It  was  necessary  first  of  all  to  settle  the  Emperor's 
inheritance  in  accordance  with  his  will,  written  at  the 
Tuileries  and  dated  April  24,  1865,  of  which  the  text  is 
as  follows: 

"I  commend  my  son  and  my  wife  to  the  estates  of 
the  Realm,  to  the  People  and  to  the  Army.  The  Empress 
Eugenie  possesses  all  the  qualities  necessary  for  the  con- 
duct of  the  Regency,  and  my  son  shows  inclinations  and 
judgment  which  will  render  him  worthy  of  his  high  destiny. 

"He  must  never  forget  the  motto  of  the  Head  of  our 
family,  ''Tout  pour  le  peuple  francais'  (All  for  the  people 

272 


Napoleon's   Will 


of  France) ;  he  must  make  himself  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  writings  of  the  prisoner  of  St.  Helena;  he  must 
study  the  acts  and  the  correspondence  of  the  Emperor,  in 
order  that  he  may  remember,  when  the  time  comes,  that 
the  cause  of  the  peoples  is  the  cause  of  France. 

"Sovereignty  is  a  heavy  burden,  because  one  cannot 
always  do  the  good  one  desires,  and  one's  contemporaries 
rarely  do  one  justice;  a  Sovereign  in  order  to  accomplish 
his  mission,  must  have  in  himself  faith  and  a  clear  con- 
sciousness of  his  duty.  He  must  remember  that  those 
whom  he  has  loved  look  down  upon  him  from  above  and 
guard  him. 

"It  is  the  spirit  of  my  great-uncle  that  has  always 
inspired  and  sustained  me.  This  spirit  will  do  the  same 
for  my  son,  for  he  will  always  be  worthy  of  his  name. 

"I  leave  to  the  Empress  Eugenie  all  my  private  estate. 
I  desire  that  when  my  son  attains  his  majority  she  will 
live  at  the  Elysee  and  at  Biarritz. 

"  I  hope  that  my  memory  will  be  dear  to  her,  and  that 
after  I  am  dead  she  will  forget  whatever  sorrow  I  may 
have  caused  her. 

"As  for  my  son,  I  wish  him  to  keep  as  a  talisman  the 
seal  which  I  carry  attached  to  my  watch,  and  which  came 
to  me  from  my  mother;  to  preserve  with  care  all  those 
objects  which  have  come  to  me  from  the  Emperor,  my 
uncle,  and  I  want  him  to  rest  assured  that  my  heart  and 
soul  will  ever  remain  with  him. 

"I  do  not  mention  my  faithful  servants.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  the  Empress  and  my  son  will  never  forsake 
them. 

"I  die  in  the  Catholic  religion,  Apostolic  and  Roman,  to 
which  my  son  will  always  do  pious  reverence. 

"(Signed)  Napoleon." 
273 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

This  will  was,  as  we  can  see,  a  political  one.  It  had 
been  written  to  allow  the  Emperor  to  place  his  son  once 
again  under  the  protecting  influence  of  the  Napoleonic 
tradition,  and  to  accredit  the  Empress  as  Regent,  by  rais- 
ing her  as  high  as  possible  in  the  affection  and  esteem  of 
the  French  people.  Above  all,  it  had  given  Napoleon  III 
the  chance  of  offering  to  the  Empress  an  apology  for 
offenses  that  had  deeply  wounded  her. 

The  will  contained  hardly  anything  of  that  which 
usually  fills  ordinary  wills,  barely  a  line,  but  this  line  was 
perfectly  clear  and  bequeathed  to  the  Empress  the  whole 
of  the  Emperor's  personal  fortune.  The  change  in  the 
situation  of  those  interested,  who  were  now  in  the  con- 
dition of  private  persons,  and  the  difference  between 
the  laws  of  inheritance  obtaining  in  France  and  those  of 
England,  so  far  from  rendering  the  provisions  of  the  will 
impracticable,  both  combined  to  make  them  easier  to 
carry  out. 

Apart  from  the  difficulty  of  realizing  certain  property, 
nothing  could  have  been  easier  than  to  settle  the  matter 
of  the  inheritance  if  political  passions  and  personal  hatreds 
had  not  been  mingled  with  it. 

It  was  Prince  Napoleon  who  introduced  this  trouble 
into  the  house  where  the  Emperor  had  just  died.  He 
demanded  a  second  will.  He  "was  not  able  to  believe 
that  the  Emperor  had  not  made  a  new  will."  M.  Pietri 
conducted  the  Prince  to  the  Emperor's  study.  There  he 
found  the  drawers  fastened  with  linen  bands  on  which 
Pietri  had  placed  his  seal.  The  Prince  muttered  that 
these  seals  were  not  in  order,  to  which  the  Emperor's  secre- 
tary replied  briefly  that  they  were  not  official  seals,  but 
simply  a  precaution  taken  by  order  of  the  Emperor  when 
he  took  to  his  bed  before  his  first  operation,  in  order  to 

274 


Raoul   Duval 


prevent  anyone  tampering  with  his  papers.1  Upon  that 
the  Prince  opened  one  of  the  drawers  in  which  he  found 
only  papers  "of  no  importance,"  that  is  to  say,  of  no  im- 
portance to  him.  They  were  lists  of  the  names  and 
addresses  of  several  thousands  of  French  persons  who  had 
written  to  the  Emperor  with  protestations  of  their  loyalty 
to  offer  their  services. 

The  Empress  exprest  a  wish  to  see  Prince  Napoleon. 
She  related  the  details  of  this  interview,  later  on,  to  a 
friend,  whose  story  I  shall  now  give.  This  friend  was 
Raoul  Duval  senior,  the  admirable  magistrate  who,  under 
the  Empire,  had  resigned  his  post  as  Public  Prosecutor  in 
order  to  devote  himself  to  the  rehabilitation  of  a  man  he 
had  caused  to  be  condemned  in  error.  Of  Duval,  the 
Prince  was  able  to  write  in  1878:  "As  a  judge  he  had  but 
one  aim,  to  do  justice.  As  a  politician  he  saw  but  one  goal 
— the  success  of  the  cause  which  he  served  so  well."  No 
one  can  challenge  or  dispute  the  testimony  of  such  a  man. 

2 "In  187  .  .  .  I  was  at  Camden  Place  on  one  of  those 
visits  which  I  usually  make  there  at  least  twice  a  year,  and 
I  had  a  private  conversation  with  H.  M.  the  Empress  in 
the  drawing-room  where  she  usually  receives  visitors.  In 
the  course  of  the  conversation,  using  the  frankness  of 
speech  which  she  and  her  son  always  authorized  and  en- 
couraged me  to  use,  I  drew  Her  Majesty's  attention  to  the 

1  This  precaution  was  the  more  necessary  as  we  had  just  discovered  a  leakage. 
A  valet  named  K used  to  steal  documents  and  sell  them  to  Thiers'  Govern- 
ment. A  letter  which  had  been  written  to  me  by  M.  Viihrer  was  found  on  the  table 
of  the  Juge  d'Instruction  at  the  Palais  de  Justice  in  Paris. 

2  The  relatives  of  Raoul  Duval  have  kindly  communicated  to  me  the  above  un- 
published note.  I  submitted  it  to  the  Empress,  who  declared  it  to  be  exact  on  all 
points.  It  was  not  dated,  but  certain  allusions  it  contained  showed  that  the  con- 
versation reported  here  had  taken  place  in  one  of  the  first  months  of  1873,  at  the 
time  when  the  Orleanists  had  not  yet  succeeded  in  bringing  about  an  amalgamation 
with  the  Bourbon  Royalists. 

275 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

grievous  effect  of  the  differences  that  then  existed  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Imperial  family. 

"'In  these  differences  lies,'  I  said  to  her,  'one  obvious 
reason  for  the  weakening  of  our  party,  and  some  of  your 
most  faithful  friends  view  them  with  infinite  regret. 
Similar  differences  have  existed  in  the  House  of  Bourbon 
between  M.  le  Comte  de  Chambord  and  the  Princes  of 
Orleans,  and  an  attempt  has  been  made  to  put  an  end  to 
them  by  a  more  or  less  complete  reconciliation.  Would 
it  not  be  possible  for  the  Imperial  family  to  follow  this 
useful  example  with  better  success?' 

'"I  have  tried  to  do  so  in  vain,'  replied  the  Empress, 
without,  however,  indicating  when  and  where.  'I  have 
held  out  my  hand  to  the  Prince,  saying,  as  I  did  so,  "  Come 
now,  you  know  I  am  not  a  vindictive  woman;  let  us  forget 
our  dissensions,  put  your  hand  in  mine  and  let  there  be  no 
question  of  the  past  between  us!"  The  Prince  only  re- 
plied, "Madame,  I  will  shortly  make  you  acquainted  with 
my  resolutions."  He  withdrew,  and,  some  days  later,  he 
sent  Colonel  Stoffel  to  me,  who  said  that  the  Prince  con- 
sented to  a  reconciliation  but  on  two  conditions  on  which 
he  would  not  compromise:  the  first  was  that  he  should  be 
recognized  as  the  head  of  the  Imperialist  Party,  and  that 
he  should  have  the  absolute  direction  of  that  party.  I 
would  have  accepted  this  condition,  dangerous  though  it 
might  prove  to  the  interests  of  my  son.    But  the  second!' 

"Here  the  voice  of  the  Empress  faltered  and  her  eyes 
filled  with  tears. 

"'The  second!     He  dared — would  you  believe  it? — 

he  dared  demand  that  the  person  of  the  Prince  Imperial 

should  be  confided  to  his  sole  care  and  surveillance!  .  .  . 

Do  you  realize  the  insult  and  all  the  threatening  import 

of  such  a  message?' 

276 


PlmliK  Ruissrl! 

TH1-:  KMPRESS  KKCKNIK   TOWARD  TIIK  CI.OSK  OF  HKR  I. IKK 


A   Malignant   Rumor 


"And  here  the  poor  woman,  shaking  with  sobs,  held 
out  her  hands  to  me  with  a  forlorn  gesture  which  affected 
me  so  profoundly  that,  forgetting  respectful  etiquet,  I 
took  both  her  hands  and  held  t"iem  for  some  instants  in 
my  own. 

"'I  cried  out,'  she  went  on  in  a  broken  voice,  'does 
the  Prince,  then,  wish  me  to  admit  myself  incapable  and 
unworthy  to  bring  up  my  son !  What  have  I  done  to  merit 
such   an  outrage?'  .  .  .", 

Prince  Napoleon  returned  to  Paris  without  having 
accepted  the  olive  branch  offered  him  by  the  Empress. 
He  had  replied  to  an  amicable  proposal  by  a  mortal  insult. 
And  yet,  strange  to  say,  she  did  not  despair  of  bringing 
him  to  a  better  frame  of  mind,  and  she  made  fresh  and 
perfectly  disinterested  efforts  to  come  to  some  agreement. 

On  his  return  to  France  Prince  Napoleon  said,  or 
caused  to  be  spread  abroad  by  his  partizans,  that  the 
Emperor  had  made  a  second  will  which  the  Empress,  with 
the  complicity  of  M.  Rouher  and  M.  Franceschini  Pietri, 
had  destroyed,  in  order  to  appropriate  her  son's  fortune. 
I  heard  this  rumor  the  moment  it  was  started,  but  I 
believed  it  would  be  speedily  disposed  of  by  the  good 
sense  of  public  opinion.  In  that  I  was  mistaken.  The 
women  who  could  never  forgive  the  Empress  Eugenie 
for  having  been  the  most  beautiful  woman  of  her  day,  the 
statesmen  who  had  not  succeeded  in  passing  from  the 
second  or  third  rank  to  the  first,  those  who  had  solicited  in 
vain  for  place  or  decorations  and  who  imputed — Heaven 
knows  why — their  disappointment  to  the  Empress,  the 
extreme  Liberals  who  saw  in  her  a  religious  bigot,  influ- 
enced by  priests,  finally  the  nincompoops  who  are  ever 
looking  for  melodrama  in  history,  and  for  whom  no  picture 

1  Here  ends  the  narrative  of  M.  Raoul  Duval  (Translator's  Note). 
277 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

of  human  life  is  interesting  unless  it  is  unreal,  had  all 
agreed  to  believe  in  the  existence  of  the  mysterious  will 
supprest  by  the  Empress  and  her  two  accomplices. 

Need  I  say  that  I  did  not  believe  a  word  of  it?  I  had 
little  liking  for  Rouher,  but  I  have  never  heard  him 
accused  of  dishonesty.  The  uprightness,  the  exceptional 
steadfastness  of  Pietri's  character  I  knew  well.  I  knew 
that  before  being  given  to  the  Empress  his  devotion  had 
belonged  without  reserve  to  the  Emperor  and  the  Prince 
Imperial;  that,  if  she  had  wished  to  have  diverted  a  par- 
ticle of  the  inheritance  destined  by  the  Emperor  for  the 
Prince  Imperial  she  would  not  have  found  a  more  tena- 
cious and  more  implacable  adversary  than  Pietri.  But 
apart  from  this,  how  was  it  possible  to  suspect  her  for  an 
instant,  to  imagine  that  this  passionately  devoted  mother, 
who  had  no  other  care  but  her  son's  future,  no  other  inter- 
est in  life  but  his  welfare  and  honor  could  have  wished  to 
defraud  him?  I  did  not  even  think  it  worth  while  to  make 
the  least  inquiry,  being  perfectly  certain  that  all  was  well. 
It  is  only  in  these  latter  years,  when  I  decided  to  eventually 
publish  my  testimony  concerning  the  events  which  I  had 
witnessed,  that  I  put  certain  questions  to  Pietri,  and  this 
is  what  he  replied: 

"The  Emperor  never  intended  to  make  a  second  will. 
Such  a  task  is  not  to  everybody's  taste.  He  did  not 
believe  himself  to  be  at  the  point  of  death.  And  then, 
what  would  have  been  the  object?  By  the  first  will  he 
wished  to  affirm  his  confidence  in  the  Empress.  Far  from 
diminishing,  this  confidence  had  increased.  The  personal 
fortune  of  the  Emperor  was  not  very  considerable.1    You 

JThe  English  solicitors,  who  effected  the  settlement  of  the  estate,  declared  that 
the  fortune  of  Napoleon  III  amounted  to  less  than  £120,000,  and  in  consequence  of 
various  claims  upon  it  the  amount  actually  available  for  the  legatee  would,  in  reality, 
be  only  about  half  of  this  declared  total. 

278 


Considerations   of  Thrift 


know  that  he  paid  little  attention  to  money  matters  and 
never  reckoned  what  he  spent.1  The  Empress,  on  the 
contrary,  is  rich  in  her  own  right,  and  has  entrusted  the 
management  of  her  property  to  a  skilful  and  devoted  man 
of  business  whom  you  know  well. 

"The  Emperor  therefore  looked  to  his  wife  for  provid- 
ing the  Prince  Imperial  with  such  an  adequate  allowance 
as  would  render  him  independent  of  his  parents-in-law 
when  he  married.  Indeed,  we  have  worked  untiringly  for 
that  object  from  1873  to  1879.  I  say  'we'  because  I 
helped  the  Empress  in  that  task  with  all  my  might. 

"The  Prince  spent  hardly  anything  on  himself.  One 
day  Bachon  came  to  sell  him  a  horse — an  admirable 
bargain. 

"'How  much?'  asked  the  Prince. 

"'Ten  thousand  francs.' 

'"That  is  too  dear.  For  ten  thousand  francs  I  could 
run  an  election.'" 

And  Pietri  continued:  "You  see  from  that  the  view 
he  took  of  questions  of  money.  The  great  danger  against 
which  we  had  to  protect  him  was  the  visits  of  intriguers 
and  swindlers  who  would  come  to  ask  him  for  fabulous 
sums  to  start  a  newspaper,  publish  a  book,  buy  some  useful 
cooperation,  or  create  a  new  kind  of  propaganda.     All 

1  I  can  give  an  instance  to  show  the  indifference  with  which  the  Emperor  treated 
such  matters.  In  August,  1870,  when  he  separated  from  the  Prince,  he  said  to  Comte 
Clary,  handing  him  three  rolls  of  bank-notes:  "You  will  find  ten  thousand  francs 
in  each  of  these  packets.  It  is  for  the  Prince's  expenses."  Hardly  had  Clary  left 
than  he  counted  the  notes  and  found  only  nine  in  each  packet.  Very  distrest  he 
returned  to  the  Emperor  and  informed  him  about  it.  "Ah,"  said  the  Emperor  neg- 
ligently, "well,  then,  you  have  twenty-seven  thousand  francs  instead  of  thirty  thou- 
sand." How  many  times  since  the  beginning  of  his  reign  had  his  packets  of  notes  thus 
been  tampered  with? 

I  might  add  that  a  certain  person  used  to  steal  from  his  bedroom-table  pieces  of 
gold  which  he  placed  there  at  night  when  he  emptied  his  waistcoat  pockets. 
He  noticed  it  in  the  end,  but  he  hesitated  to  punish  or  even  dismiss  the  guilty 
one. 

279 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

these  people  said  that  he  ought  to  strike  while  the  iron  was 
hot,  and  make  great  sacrifices  as  the  occasion  would  never 
return  again.  In  the  beginning  the  Prince  was  inclined 
to  believe  them,  but  after  the  fiasco  of  May  16  he  was  dis- 
illusioned. Besides,  he  was  beginning  to  understand 
human  nature  and  in  consequence  he  was  better  able  to 
defend  himself  against  such  self-interested  attempts.  It 
was  then  that,  at  the  request  of  the  Empress  and  Prince 
Imperial,  three  lawyers,  Pinard,  Grandperret  and  Busson- 
Billault,  drew  up  in  consultation  a  settlement  which  was 
voluntary  and  had  no  compulsory  validity  in  law.  In 
order  to  provide  him  with  an  adequate  fortune  she  had 
resolved  to  make  over  to  him  half  the  paternal  inheritance, 
in  accordance  with  the  French  law.  This  division  had  just 
been  completed  when  the  Prince  left  for  Zululand. 

"But  the  Empress,"  added  Pietri,  "had  not  waited 
until  then  to  make  the  Prince  financially  comfortable. 
When  he  went  to  Scandinavia  she  opened  an  unlimited 
credit  for  him,  which  he  drew  on  largely;  for  I  can  assure 
you  that  he  spent  money  en  route  like  a  reigning  Prince." 

Pietri  concluded  by  saying:  "How  dare  they  say  that 
he  had  not  a  sou,  when  by  his  will,  after  having  appointed 
his  mother  residuary  legatee,  he  left  legacies  to  individuals 
amounting  to  over  a  million  francs?" 

The  wish  to  set  forth  here  all  that  I  know  about  the 
settlement  of  the  Imperial  inheritance  has  led  me  far  away 
from  my  immediate  subject.  I  will  now  return  to  the 
events  which  followed  the  death  of  the  Emperor. 

By  right  the  Empress  was  Regent  from  January  9, 
1873,  to  March  16,  1874.  After  that  date,  and  until 
February,  1875,  when  the  Prince  left  Woolwich,  he  was 
supposed  to  hold  in  his  own  hands  the  policy  of  the  party. 
But  this  was  nothing  but  a  fiction  and,  in  reality,  Rouher 

280 


Party   Tactics 

managed  everything.  What,  then,  did  Rouher  do?  He 
did  nothing,  and  he  ought  not  to  be  blamed  for  that,  for 
in  the  parliamentary  arena  there  was  nothing  to  be  done. 
To  distribute  by  hundreds  of  thousands,  by  millions, 
pamphlets  and  newspapers,  to  refute  calumnies  and  re- 
establish the  truth  about  the  last  acts  of  the  Imperial 
regime,  such  was  the  work  of  these  two  years.  In  Parlia- 
ment this  old  statesman  had  a  following  of  only  twenty- 
five  or  thirty.  He  never  mounted  the  rostrum,  without 
feeling  sorely  troubled,  and  instead  of  receiving  the  admir- 
ing deference  to  which  he  had  once  been  accustomed  on  the 
part  of  the  House,  he  met  with  nothing  but  scornful 
hostility  from  the  Republican  Minority,  and  disdainful 
tolerance  from  the  Royalist  Majority;  it  was  to  the  tail 
of  the  latter  party  that  he  attached  himself  when  the  hour 
to  vote  arrived. 

Meanwhile  the  Prince  worked  hard  at  mathematics  and 
gunnery.  As  for  the  Empress,  she  would  have  lost  herself 
in  the  parliamentary  imbroglio  if  she  had  attempted  to 
follow  and  to  control  from  a  distance  these  maneuvers 
which  repeated  themselves  endlessly  and  not  infrequently 
annuled  one  another. 

Was  Rouher  wise  to  associate  himself  with  the  move- 
ment which  overthrew  Thiers  and  replaced  him  by  Mar- 
shal MacMahon? 

We  believed  so  at  first,  but  we  were  not  slow  in  repent- 
ing of  our  belief  when  the  Comte  de  Paris  paid  his  famous 
visit  to  Frohsdorf.  The  white  flag  of  the  Comte  de  Cham- 
bord 1  saved  us,  and  the  Imperial  party,  taking  up  again 
its  true  role,  made  rapid  progress  from  March  16,  1874. 

1  A  Royalist  restoration  would  probably  have  been  inevitable  at  this  time  had  the 
Orleanists  and  "Legitimists"  joined  forces.  The  Comte  de  Chambord  stubbornly 
refused  to  give  up  the  white  standard  with  the  golden  fleur-dc-Iys  of  the  Kings  of  Prance 
for  the  tricolor,  and  this  one  point  wrecked  the  negotiations  (Translator's  Note). 

28l 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

This  I  can  assert,  because  the  correspondence  which 
reached  me  at  Woolwich  brought  striking  proofs  by  every 
post.  But,  as  I  spent  only  Sundays  at  Chislehurst,  I  was 
little  in  touch  with  all  that  happened  there,  with  the  visi- 
tors who  were  received  and  with  the  share  which  the 
Empress  took  in  the  direction  of  affairs. 

My  impression  is  that  she  voluntarily  and  daily  effaced 
herself  more  and  more.  When  the  Prince  left  the  Royal 
Military  Academy  and  began  to  study  all  the  questions  in 
detail  she  withdrew  completely.  She  carried  discretion 
so  far  as  to  be  absent  when  any  important  resolutions  had 
to  be  taken.  She  put  into  this  attitude  no  affectation  and 
no  sulkiness,  and  gave  her  personal  opinion  quite  frankly 
in  conversation  and  in  her  letters,  but  she  did  not  trouble 
herself  to  find  out  whether  her  advice  had  been  taken  into 
consideration.  She  did  not,  indeed,  renounce  the  right 
of  giving  advice;  for  instance,  she  would  say,  in  connection 
with  the  visit  of  a  new  adherent:  "Do  not  speak  much; 
let  him  speak  and  listen  yourself.  That  is  what  your 
father  would  have  done."  The  tone  suggests  rather  the 
mother  who  teaches  than  the  Regent  who  commands,  does 
it  not? 

In  the  summer  of  1875  the  Empress  went  to  see  her 
son,  who  was  now  doing  duty  as  an  acting  lieutenant  of 
artillery  at  Aldershot.  On  leaving  him  she  went  on  to 
Arenenberg,  where  she  stayed  for  a  period  every  year  after 
the  death  of  the  Emperor.  Napoleon  III  would  never 
return  there  during  the  last  years  of  his  life.  The  Empress 
explained  this  repugnance  to  me  one  day  as  a  sort  of 
superstition.  "To  revisit  the  home  of  his  youth,"  she 
said,  "would  have  made  him  feel  like  a  wounded  animal 
returning  to  its  lair  to  die." 

The  Prince,  on  the  contrary,  had  a  lively  affection  for 

282 


A   Visit  to   Italy 

the  former  residence  of  Queen  Hortense,  and  he  eagerly 
rejoined  his  mother  there  as  soon  as  he  could  leave  Alder- 
shot.  Arenenberg  was  then  full  of  young  people,  of  gaiety 
and  movement,  and  the  politicians  who  flocked  there  from 
France  did  not  succeed  in  destroying  the  charm  of  the 
place.  The  lake  and  the  mountains  supplied  all  kinds  of 
sport.  The  Empress,  whom  I  had  seen  at  Biarritz  and 
Fontainebleau  taking  part  in  such  recreations,  now  ab- 
stained from  them,  but  one  felt  how  happy  she  was  in 
seeing  her  son  the  center  and  the  inspiration  of  a  thousand 
amusements. 

In  the  autumn  of  1 876,  instead  of  again  returning  to 
Camden  Place  as  in  former  years,  both  mother  and  son 
turned  towards  Italy.  The  Prince,  with  two  friends,  spent 
some  days  in  Venice,  and  then  visited  the  battlefields  of 
1859.  During  this  time  the  Empress,  who  had  arrived  at 
Florence,  settled  at  the  Villa  Oppenheim,  where  the  Prince 
soon  joined  her. 

Concerning  these  first  days  in  Florence  the  Empress 
told  me  the  following  anecdote. 

King  Victor  Emmanuel  having  called  upon  her  at  the 
Villa  Oppenheim,  she  immediately  returned  his  visit  at  the 
Pitti  Palace.  She  was  received  in  a  drawing-room  entirely 
hung  with  portraits  of  the  Hohenzollerns  whose  spiked 
helmets  offended  her  eyes  at  every  turn.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  portrait  of  Napoleon  III,  who  had  made  the 
House  of  Savoy  the  Royal  House  of  Italy,  was  absent. 
As  the  Empress,  even  whilst  speaking,  never  ceased  look- 
ing at  the  pictures  of  all  these  Prussians,  the  King,  in  spite 
of  his  self-possession,  became  slightly  embarrassed. 

"You  are  astonished,"  he  said,  "at  what  you  see." 

"No,"  replied  the  Empress,  "I  am  astonished  at  what 

I  do  not  see." 

283 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugdnie 

From  Florence  the  Empress  and  the  Prince  went  to 
Rome,  where  the  godson  of  Pius  IX  went  to  pay  his  re- 
spects to  his  illustrious  sponsor  at  the  Vatican.  Then 
mother  and  son  separated.  Whilst  the  Prince  visited  the 
port  and  dockyards  of  Spezzia,  returning  to  England  via 
Germany,  the  Empress  went  to  Naples,  whence  she  passed 
into  Spain  after  having  broken  the  journey  at  Malta.  She 
prolonged  her  stay  with  her  mother,  whom  she  had  not 
met  for  many  years,  and  it  was  not  without  emotion  that 
she  revisited  this  house  of  Carabanchel,  the  scene  of  her 
first  amusements  and  of  her  first  triumphs  as  a  young  girl. 
The  old  trees  of  Carabanchel  had,  no  doubt,  used  the  lapse 
of  time  to  grow  somewhat  and  thereby  justify  the  Comtesse 
de  Montijo's  illusions  concerning  them. 

At  this  moment  there  took  place  in  France  the  political 
landslide  of  the  Seize  Mai,1  and  judging  by  the  letters 
which  passed  between  mother  and  son,  they  were  both  of 
the  same  impression  when  events  became  fully  known  to 
them — namely,  that  the  Orleanists  were  trying  to  exploit 
for  their  own  purposes  the  reviving  popularity  of  the 
Imperialist  Party.  I  have  previously  explained  that  the 
Prince  made  every  effort  to  prevent  his  friends  from 
falling  into  the  trap,  but  he  only  half  succeeded. 

The  failure  of  May  16,  and  more  particularly  the 
retirement  of  the  marshal,  which  was  brought  about 
without  the  least  trouble,  served  to  show  the  Empress  and 
her  son  that  their  judgment  had  not  been  at  fault,  and  I 
believe  they  never  agreed  better  than  during  the  last 
year  they  spent  together.  Far  from  being  the  opprest, 
kept-under  child,  deprived  of  initiative  and  of  pleasures, 
which  some  despicable  books  represent  him  to  have  been, 

1  May  16,  1877,  when  a  Republican  majority  put  an  end  to  the  Presidency  of 
Marshal  MacMahon    and  to  the  rule  of  the  conservative  parties  (Translator's  Note). 

284 


The    Prince's   Views   on   Marriage 

the  Prince  was  a  man  whose  physical  strength  and  in- 
tellectual freedom  were  fully  developed.  Conscious  of 
being  absolute  master  of  his  own  actions,  he  was  in  no 
hurry  to  marry,  as  this  would  have  singularly  hampered 
him  as  a  Pretender.  Here  is  what  he  wrote  me  in  Au- 
gust, 1878,  in  connection  with  certain  matrimonial  proj- 
ects arising  out  of  his  journey  to  the  Courts  of  the  North : 
"You  speak  to  me  of  certain  projects  of  marriage 
which  excited  friends  have  put  forward.  To  marry  was 
not  the  object  of  my  journey,  otherwise  you  would  have 
been  one  of  the  first  to  know.  It  is  possible  that  I  may 
not  wait  till  years  have  made  me  as  bald  as  Corvisart,  or 
*  pot-bellied'  like  Rouher,  before  entering  upon  marriage, 
but  I  have  at  present  no  definite  intention  of  the  kind. 
Doubtless  I  may  not  hope  for  the  happiness  of  marrying 
according  to  my  affections,  but  I  know  enough  of  life  never 
to  consent  to  marry  against  my  inclinations,  and  in  this 
I  am  not  swayed  by  selfish  considerations,  but  acting  as  an 
honest  man." 

The  Empress  had  not  originated  this  project  of 
marriage,  but  she  appreciated  its  advantages  for  the 
Prince,  and  she  would  have  made  the  greatest  sacrifices 
to  ensure  its  accomplishment.  She  was  not,  however, 
seriously  disappointed  when  the  affair  came  to  nothing. 

They  were  still  at  Arenenberg  when  Colonel  Stoffel 
put  another  idea  into  the  Prince's  head.  This  idea  was 
for  him  to  enter  the  Austrian  army  at  the  time  when  this 
army,  by  virtue  of  the  mandate  of  the  Powers,  was  pre- 
paring to  occupy  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina.  The  Em- 
press objected. 

"If  there  is  no  war,"  she  said,  "you  will  spend  your 
time  in  an  Austrian  garrison  playing  billiards  and  making 
love  to  an  -Italian  singer.     If  there  is  war  you  will  fight 

285 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

against  the  poor  Turks,  who  are  allies  of  France,  or  per- 
haps (for  politics  are  liable  to  strange  and  sudden  up- 
heavals in  the  Balkans)  against  Russia,  whose  Sovereign 
welcomed  you  like  a  father  four  years  ago  at  Wool- 
wich." 

The  Prince  was  not,  however,  convinced,  and  he  per- 
suaded the  Empress  to  write  to  Francis  Joseph  in  the 
sense  he  desired.  In  telling  me  about  this  several  years 
later,  she  concluded  by  saying:  "The  Emperor  refused, 
and  I  was  exceedingly  glad." 

They  returned  together  to  Camden  Place.  She  always 
came  back  there  with  pleasure,  for  this  house  had  become 
dear  to  her.  In  1883  I  heard  her  say  to  my  wife:  "I  do 
not  know  why  they  all  complained  about  Camden  Place; 
to  me  it  was  like  Heaven."  Those  four  years,  1875-79, 
were  happy  years;  I  might  almost  say  the  happiest  years 
of  her  life.  She  had  her  son  with  her,  and  he  was  all  that 
she  had  wished. 


286 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE  PILGRIMAGE  TO  ITELEZI 

IN  my  book  on  the  Prince  Imperial,  I  have  related  how 
his  wish  to  take  part  in  the  Zulu  War  gradually  devel- 
oped, until  at  last  it  became  an  obsession  with  him, 
and  how  his  first  request  to  serve  in  the  English  army  was 
refused  by  the  Duke  of  Cambridge.  Nothing  daunted 
by  this  failure  the  Prince  redoubled  his  efforts,  and  at 
length  obtained  the  longed-for  permission.  The  same 
evening  his  mother,  who  had  noticed  that  he  seemed  un- 
usually pleased  and  excited,  realized  that  something 
unexpected  must  have  transpired,  and  she  prevailed  on 
her  son  to  take  her  into  his  confidence.  The  next  morning 
the  Empress  discust  the  project  very  gravely  with  the 
Prince,  and  for  some  hours  she  endeavored  unsuccess- 
fully to  dissuade  him  from  his  intention;  but  she  found 
the  Prince  immovable,  and  indeed  she  was  faced  by  an 
accomplished  fact,  as  he  had  already  received  the  neces- 
sary authorization  from  the  Commander-in-Chief. 

I  have  in  the  work  referred  to  described  this  event 
exactly  as  the  Empress  herself  told  it  to  me  at  Coombe 
Cottage  in  the  spring  of  1881,  when  I  saw  her  for  the 
first  time  after  the  death  of  the  Prince  Imperial,  and  I  have 
also  included  some  other  information  kindly  given  me  by 
M.  Franceschini  Pietri.  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  re- 
peat here  in  detail  what  I  have  already  written  else- 
where, but  nevertheless  nearly  all  the  particulars  belong 
equally  to  the  story  of  the  mother  as  to  that  of  her  son, 
notably  that  supreme  discussion  which  decided  both 
their  lives.    I  am,  therefore,  happy  to  be  in  a  position  to 

287 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

publish  the  evidence  of  another  independent  witness,  M. 
Raoul  Duval,  senior,  whose  integrity  and  intelligence  are 
already  known  to  the  reader.1 

M.  Duval  gives  the  Empress's  account  of  the  motives 
which  had  determined  the  Prince  to  leave  for  South 
Africa.  We  must,  however,  note  carefully  that  in  this 
interview  the  Empress  was,  in  a  sense,  pleading  the 
Prince's  cause,  and  trying  to  put  forward  his  point  of 
view  instead  of  her  own,  so  that  she  minimized  the  unhap- 
piness  which  his  departure  had  caused  her.  The  meeting 
between  the  old  magistrate  and  his  Sovereign  took  place 
on  May  12,  1879 — that  is,  nearly  three  weeks  before  the 
death  of  the  Prince. 

"When  I  entreated  the  Prince  to  abandon  his  project, 
of  which  the  dangers  alarmed  me,"  said  the  Empress  to 
M.  Duval,  "he  replied:  *  Listen,  mother,  I  will  fully 
explain  my  position,  and  then  you  can  judge  for  yourself. 
Owing  to  the  accident  of  my  birth  I  am  not  my  own 
master.  God  has  willed  it  so,  and  I  cannot,  even  if  I 
would,  escape  from  the  destiny  which  He  has  appointed 
for  me.  Whether  I  like  it  or  not,  I  happen  to  be  the 
nominal,  and  eventually  the  effective  head  of  a  great 
party  which  believes  itself  to  be — and  which  we  believe 
to  be — truly  representative  of  France.  Now  what  have  I 
done  hitherto  to  justify  the  hopes  that  people  place  in 
me?  I  have  been  an  exile  from  my  childhood,  and  I 
have  grown  up  under  the  trees  of  Camden  Place.  I  have 
worked  with  the  teachers  you  have  given  me  to  acquire 
for  myself  a  sound  education,  and  to  grow  up  into  a  man. 
But  of  all  I  have  done,  of  all  I  have  learnt,  of  all  the 
things  of  worth  that  may  be  in  me,  nothing,  so  to  speak, 
has  gone  outside  the  walls  of  my  study.    Apart  from  a 

1  Cf.  p.  275  (Translator's  Note). 
288 


The    Prince   Explains   his    Position 

small  number  of  my  personal  friends,  nobody  knows  me, 
and  I  can  say  that  in  France,  although  my  name  may  be 
an  emblem,  my  personality  and  my  moral  value,  such  as 
they  are,  are  unknown.  They  still  see  me  as  I  was  when 
I  left  the  country.  In  the  eyes  of  my  party  I  have  never 
grown  up,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-three  I  am  still  a 
child  to  them,  and  the  majority  of  them  treat  me  as  one. 
This  is  so  true,  that  whenever  on  any  important  occasion 
I  have  attempted  to  direct  the  Imperialist  party,  and  to 
impress  upon  them  a  uniform  policy  in  conformity  with 
my  opinion  and  my  personal  wishes,  I  have  not  been 
listened  to,  and,  as  often  as  not,  the  party  has  acted  in 
direct  opposition  to  my  advice.  ...  It  is  imperative, 
therefore,  that  I  should  take  some  step  to  assert  myself, 
and  to  obtain  the  influence  which  is  indispensable  to  my 
future.  There  is  one  thing  a  man  can  always  do — that  is, 
to  show  that  he  does  not  value  his  own  life  too  highly,  and 
is  prepared  to  risk  it  without  counting  the  cost. 

"'I  am  continually  having  it  thrown  at  my  head  that 
the  Orleans  Princes  have  seen  fighting,  and  that  I  have 
not  seen  any.  My  enemies  have  even  gone  so  far  as  to 
call  me  a  coward,  simply  because  I  have  never  had  the 
opportunity  of  proving  the  contrary.  During  the  war 
between  Russia  and  Turkey,  Russian  and  English  in- 
terests were  in  direct  opposition,  and  the  two  Powers  were 
watching  one  another  with  their  hands,  figuratively 
speaking,  on  the  hilts  of  their  swords.  To  take  sides  with 
either  would  have  been  to  show  myself  ungrateful  to  one 
or  to  the  other.  England  gave  shelter  in  the  past  to  my 
father;  she  has  sheltered  us  also  in  our  exile,  and  has 
shown  us  all  manner  of  kindnesses.  On  the  other  hand, 
when  the  Emperor  of  Russia  visited  London  he  evinced, 
as  is  well  known,  the  greatest  interest  in  my  welfare,  and 

289 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

displayed  the  most  affectionate  feelings  towards  me.  He 
was,  so  he  told  me,  my  sincere  well-wisher,  and  I  should 
always  find  a  warm  friend  in  him.  It  was  therefore  im- 
possible for  me  to  take  any  part  against  either  country. 
In  the  Afghan  war  the  situation  was  identically  the  same. 
At  the  present  time,  on  the  other  hand,  the  war  is  one 
against  savages,  no  European  interests  are  involved,  and 
no  one  can  take  offense  at  my  participation  in  hostilities. 
In  Africa  I  shall  be  able  to  show  that  I  am  no  coward,  and 
when  I  have  proved  that  I  am  willing  to  risk  my  life  for 
a  country  which  is  not  my  own,  but  to  which  I  owe  a  debt 
of  gratitude,  I  shall  a  fortiori  have  proved  that  I  am 
equally  ready  to  risk  it  in  the  service  of  my  own  country 
when  she  has  need  of  me. 

"'You  must,  therefore,  see  that  the  moment  has  ar- 
rived when  I  must  do  something,  and  that  my  decision  is 
a  reasonable  one. ' " 1 

"Notwithstanding  all  the  fears  of  which  my  heart  was 
full,  and  the  agony  which  I  seemed  to  foresee,"  continued 
the  Empress,  "I  could  not  fail  to  realize  the  justice  of 
many  of  my  son's  remarks,  and  this  will  explain  to  you 
why,  although  I  still  argued  with  him,  I  resigned  myself 
at  last  to  the  inevitable." 

The  Empress,  in  her  turn,  questioned  her  visitor  as  to 
the  feelings  of  the  Imperialist  party,  and  the  judgment 
which  it  had  passed  on  the  Prince's  departure  for  Africa. 
Raoul  Duval  answered  frankly  that  the  news  of  the 
Prince's  decision  had  caused  general  astonishment.  It 
was  felt  that  the  Prince  had  no  right  even  in  the  service 

1  The  Empress,  to  whom  I  submitted  this  account  by  M.  Raoul  Duval,  told  me  that 
it  was  absolutely  correct  in  essentials.  "Only,"  she  added,  "the  Prince  exprest 
himself  in  somewhat  different  terms.  He  said  to  me:  'Do  you  want  me  to  remain 
always  the  "little  Prince"  to  everyone?  Do  you  want  me  to  fade  away  and  die  of 
sheer  ennui  like  the  Due  de  Reichstadt?'" 

290 


Prince  Victor   Napoleon 


of  a  country  towards  which  he  had  obligations  to  risk  so 
precious  an  existence.  Did  he  not,  after  his  great-uncle 
and  his  father,  embody  in  his  person  the  Empire — that  is, 
the  principle  of  a  monarchy  which  combined  authority 
with  democracy?  Was  he  not  its  last  and  only  incarna- 
tion? If  anything  untoward  were  to  happen  to  him,  the 
Imperialist  party  would  dissolve,  and  nothing  would 
remain  of  the  hopes  which  had  been  centered  on  him. 

The  Empress  remarked  that,  after  all,'  Prince  Napoleon 
was  still  alive;  but  Raoul  Duval  told  her  that  Prince 
Napoleon,  having  renounced  the  Empire  in  favor  of  the 
Republic,  no  longer  existed  for  the  Imperialists.  The 
Empress  then  mentioned  the  Prince's  two  sons,  who  were, 
she  said,  "very  gifted." 

"The  eldest,  Prince  Victor,  is  a  charming  young  man 
whom  my  son  likes  very  much." 

"I  know  he  is  charming,"  answered  M.  Duval;  "but 
to  reach  the  son  you  have  first  to  pass  the  father." 

"Evidently,"  concluded  the  Empress,  "one  cannot 
pass  over  Prince  Napoleon." 

I  have  purposely  quoted  this  remark,  because  it  cer- 
tainly expresses  the  Empress's  real  opinion.  She  was  far 
from  suspecting  that  at  that  moment  her  son's  will,  which 
disinherited  Prince  Napoleon,  was  lying  in  a  sealed  box 
at  the  bottom  of  a  cupboard  in  the  very  room  (unless  I  am 
mistaken,  it  was  the  Prince's  smoking-room)  where  she 
was  speaking. 

Those  who  have  known  the  Empress  will  hardly  recog- 
nize her  in  the  speech  previously  quoted,  in  which  she 
explains  her  son's  motives.  The  fact  is  that  she  held  Raoul 
Duval's  view  even  more  strongly  than  Raoul  Duval  him- 
self. She  did  not  tell  him  of  her  frantic  efforts  to  keep  the 
Prince  in  Europe.     But  she  could  not  hide  from  him  the 

291 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

evidences  of  the  torturing  anxiety  caused  by  the  depress- 
ing rumors  which  had  been  spread  about  since  the 
Prince's  departure.  Two  forged  telegrams  had  been  cir- 
culated, one  of  which  was  published  in  the  Figaro.  Ac- 
cording to  this,  a  steamer  coming  from  the  Cape  had 
called  at  Madeira  on  May  10,  and  brought  news  of  the 
Prince  Imperial's  serious  illness.  All  this  was  nothing 
but  malicious  invention,  as  it  was  discovered  later,  from 
official  information,  that  no  steamer  from  the  Cape  had 
called  at  Madeira  for  some  time.  If  the  Prince  had  been 
seriously  ill  the  Empress  would  have  been  the  first  person 
to  hear  of  it  from  the  faithful  Uhlmann,  the  devoted 
servant  who  had  accompanied  her  son  to  Africa. 

The  Empress  wished  to  appear  easy  in  her  mind,  but 
she  was  not  so  in  reality.  She  did  not  tell  Raoul  Duval 
that  her  anxiety  increased  from  day  to  day,  and  was  con- 
suming her.  In  fact,  she  was  so  obsessed  by  it  that  she 
determined  to  go  to  Africa  herself.  Queen  Victoria,  who 
was  informed  of  this,  at  once  endeavored  to  persuade  the 
Duke  of  Cambridge,  the  Commander-in-Chief,  to  urge 
the  Prince  to  return  to  Europe,  and  Lord  Wolseley,  who 
was  on  the  point  of  leaving  England  to  replace  Lord 
Chelmsford  at  the  head  of  the  troops  in  Zululand,  was 
entrusted,  it  was  said,  with  the  orders  for  the  Prince's 
return. 

But  the  fatal  event  of  June  I  forestalled  him.  As 
no  cable  existed  at  that  time  between  London  and  the 
Cape,  the  news  of  the  death  of  the  Prince  Imperial  took 
three  weeks  to  transmit  to  Madeira,  where  it  was  known 
on  June  20.  The  same  day  it  reached  the  British  Gov- 
ernment, but  directly  Queen  Victoria  was  apprized  of 
the  dreadful  tidings,  her  first  thought  was  to  spare  her 
friend  the  horror  of  first  reading  of  her  son's  fate  in  the 

292 


The   Fatal   News 


morning  papers.  The  Queen  therefore  sent  the  Lord 
High  Chamberlain,  Lord  Sydney,  to  Camden  Place  to 
break  the  news  to  the  Empress. 

The  age  and  rank  of  the  Due  de  Bassano  entitled  him 
to  the  cruel  distinction  of  conveying  this  dreadful  message 
to  his  Sovereign,  and  the  poor  man  remembered  the  morn- 
ing of  June  21  to  his  dying  day.  The  moment  that  he 
entered  the  Empress's  room  she  read  tragedy  in  the 
agitated  face  of  the  old  Duke. 

"Is  my  son  ill?"  cried  the  Empress. 

There  was   no   reply. 

"Is  he  wounded?  ...  I  will  leave  for  Africa  at 
once." 

Still  there  was  silence.  Thereupon  the  Empress  rose 
from  where  she  was  sitting  and  walked  up  to  the  unhappy 
Duke.  She  looked  straight  into  his  eyes,  but  he  could 
not  meet  her  gaze.  Then  she  understood,  and,  uttering 
one  heartbroken  cry,  she  fell  fainting  into  the  arms  of 
her  old  Chamberlain.  The  Empress  remained  in  this 
pitiable  condition,  shattered  and  broken,  one  fainting  fit 
succeeding  the  other,  all  that  fatal  day.  Those  around 
her  feared  for  her  life,  and  it  was  only  at  the  end  of  several 
days  that  she  regained  strength  to  face  her  overwhelming 
sorrow  and  to  fulfil  the  duties  which  circumstances  de- 
manded of  her.  Her  first  thought  was  to  let  both  the 
French  and  the  English  know  that  she  wished  no  one  to 
suffer  in  his  person  or  in  his  position  on  account  of  the 
event  of  June  I.  Another  wish,  equally  near  to  her 
heart,  was  to  establish  that  her  son  had  no  share  of  re- 
sponsibility for  the  loss  of  the  two  soldiers  who  fell  with 
him  at  Ityotyozi,  or,  to  put  it  plainly,  that  he  was  not  in 
command  that  day. 

The   Prince,    however,    was    not   in    command   of   the 

293 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

expedition;  Captain  Carey  was  in  charge  of  the  party 
and  had  selected  the  spot  where  they  halted.  That 
Captain  Carey  was  actually  in  command  appears  from 
the  following  considerations: 

1.  He  was  of  English  nationality. 

2.  He  was  the  Prince's  senior  in  military  rank. 

3.  He  had  been  entrusted  with  this  particular  mission 

by  his  chief,  Colonel  Harrison. 

4.  He  admitted  it  himself  in  a  letter  written  to  his  wife 

on  the  evening  of  June  1,  the  contents  of  which 
were  afterwards  communicated  to  the  Empress. 

5.  The   Prince    himself    confirmed   it    by   these    four 

words,     the     last     entry     in     his     pocket-book: 
"Escort  under  Captain  Carey." 

These  facts  are  indisputable;  they  have  never  been 
contradicted,  and  cannot  be  contradicted  by  any  fresh 
evidence. 

However,  the  desire  to  throw  further  light  on  this 
point,  already  abundantly  clear,  was  one  of  the  reasons 
which  determined  the  Empress  to  undertake,  in  the  fol- 
lowing year,  a  long  and  difficult  journey.  In  my  book, 
"  Le  Prince  Imperial,  Souvenirs  et  Documents"  l  I  have 
already  published  a  letter  in  which  the  Empress  told  M. 
Franceschini  Pietri  of  her  resolve  and  gave  him  her 
reasons.  But  this  letter  is  so  beautiful,  even  in  its  in- 
coherence, it  reveals  in  such  an  arresting  manner  the  rare 
personality  of  its  writer,  that  I  cannot  resist  the  tempta- 
tion to  reproduce  it  here.    The  Empress  writes: 

".  .  .  I  feel  myself  drawn  towards  this  pilgrimage  as 
strongly  as  the  disciples  of  Christ  must  have  felt  drawn 

1  Paris,  Hachette  et  Cie.,  1912  (Translator's  Note). 
294 


Queen   Victoria's   Solicitude 


towards  the  Holy  Places.  The  thought  of  seeing,  of  re- 
tracing the  stages  of  my  beloved  son's  last  journey,  of 
seeing  with  my  own  eyes  the  scene  upon  which  his  dying 
gaze  has  rested,  of  passing  the  anniversary  of  the  night 
of  the  i  st  of  June  watching  and  praying  alone  with  his 
memory,  is  for  me  a  spiritual  necessity  and  an  aim  in  life. 
Since  the  end  of  the  war  has  allowed  me  to  regard  this 
possibility  more  hopefully,  it  has  become  my  dominant 
thought.  .  .  .  This  thought  sustains  me  and  gives  me 
fresh  courage;  without  it  I  should  never  have  sufficient 
strength  to  endure  my  life,  and  I  should  allow  myself  to 
be  submerged  in  my  sorrow.  ...  I  am  under  no  delusions 
as  to  the  painful  experiences  which  await  me  in  Africa,  or 
the  long  and  trying  sea  voyage  and  the  strain  of  a  hurried 
journey,  but  all  this  vanishes  when  I  think  of  Itelezi.  .  .  ." 

Queen  Victoria  displayed  the  greatest  solicitude  for 
the  Empress,  and  she  insisted  that  a  general  officer  should 
act  as  her  escort  in  order  to  watch  over  her  safety  and 
render  her  journey  as  easy  as  possible  in  an  uncivilized 
country,  possessing  but  few  resources  in  case  of  need, 
and  one  in  which  peace  was  barely  reestablished. 
This  general  officer  was  Sir  Evelyn  Wood,  afterwards 
raised  to  the  rank  of  Field-Marshal,  a  distinguished 
writer  as  well  as  a  distinguished  soldier.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  two  old  friends  of  the  Prince — Captain  Slade, 
who  has  since  risen  to  a  high  position  in  the  army,  and 
Captain  Bigge,  now  Lord  Stamfordham  and  secretary  to 
King  George  V.  The  Empress  had  also  with  her  Napo- 
leon de  Bassano,  son  of  the  Duke,1  and  Dr.  Scott,  who 
had  served  as  an  army  surgeon  throughout  the  campaign 
of  the  preceding  year.    Lady  Wood  and  another  lady,  the 

1  Napoleon,  Marquis  de  Bassano,  later  the  third  and  last  Duke,  was  one  of  the  most 
sympathetic  figures  in  Imperialist  circles.     He  died  in  1906. 

295 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

widow  of  an  officer  killed  at  Ulundi,  who  was  bound  on  a 
similar  pilgrimage  of  love,  accompanied  Her  Majesty. 

The  Empress  left  England  on  March  28,  and  when  the 
steamer  arrived  at  Madeira  the  Governor  of  the  island 
and  the  Portuguese  admiral  arrived  on  board  in  full-dress 
uniform,  bearing  a  telegram  from  their  Sovereign  to  the 
Empress.  She  had  nevertheless  already  notified  the 
Chevalier  d'Antas,  the  Portuguese  Ambassador  in  Lon- 
don, that  she  neither  would  nor  could  receive  any  visitor 
during  the  journey,  and  she  did  not,  therefore,  leave 
her  stateroom  to  receive  these  officials.  She  arrived  at 
Cape  Town  on  the  morning  of  April  16,  and  went  to 
Government  House,  where  the  Prince  had  stayed  a  year 
before,  and  she  was,  even  as  he  had  been,  the  object  of  the 
most  touching  and  respectful  solicitude.  On  April  18  the 
Empress  wrote  to  M.  Pietri: 

"We  have  arrived  at  Cape  Town  after  twenty  days' 
journey.  I  can  well  understand  the  tedium  which  my 
poor  boy  must  have  endured,  as  the  voyage  is  most  monot- 
onous, and  the  heat  is  intense  near  the  Equator.  I  have 
never  slept  a  single  night!  I  found  here  on  my  arrival 
the  d'Estrees,  the  French  dispatch  vessel  which  was  com- 
manded by  M.  Des  Varannes  when  he  fell  ill  with  yellow 
fever.  ...  I  would  not  land  at  Madeira,  and  since  my 
arrival  at  Cape  Town  I  have  only  been  in  the  garden  of 
Government  House.  I  cannot  express  to  you  what  I  felt 
when  I  entered  this  house,  the  first  halting  place  of  my 
beloved  son!  .  .  ." 

April  18  fell  on  a  Sunday  that  year,  and  I  see  from  a 

letter  which  the  Marquis  de  Bassano  wrote  the  next  day 

to  M.  Pietri  that  the  Empress  went  out  to  hear  Mass,  and 

that  she  received  an  affectionate  telegram  from  Queen 

296 


Public   Sympathy   in    South   Africa 

Victoria.  The  Marquis  visited  the  castle  where 
Cetewayo,  the  King  of  the  Zulus,  was  imprisoned,  and 
Cetewayo  exprest  in  very  suitable  terms,  through  the 
medium  of  an  interpreter,  his  regret  at  the  death  of  the 
Prince.  It  is  well  known  that,  directly  Cetewayo  realized 
the  European  importance  of  the  event  of  June  I,  he 
sent  back  of  his  own  accord  the  Prince's  sword  to  the 
authorities.  But  he  could  tell  nothing  of  the  details  of 
that  day's  happenings. 

The  Empress  took  steamer  again  at  Cape  Town,  and 
after  several  days'  journey  she  reached  Durban,  whence 
she  traveled  to  Maritzburg.  From  there  she  wrote  on 
May  3  to  M.  Pietri : 

"My  reception  everywhere  is  of  the  most  touching 
character;  not  a  sound,  not  a  shout,  but  a  respectful  silence 
similar  to  that  which  one  tries  to  maintain  in  a  sick  room, 
and  everyone  uncovers  his  head.  Even  the  blacks  seem 
to  understand  that  she  to  whom  God  has  given  so  much, 
yet  from  whom  He  has  taken,  one  by  one,  all  the  gifts 
which  He  had  bestowed,  leaving  her  the  heart's  bitterness 
as  her  only  companion,  is  indeed  past  all  wishes.  ...  I 
saw  some  Sisters  this  morning  who  have  prayed  over  my 
lost  beloved  one.  Everybody  speaks  of  him  in  terms 
which  make  my  grief  more  intense,  but  which  at  the  same 
time  appeal  to  my  pride  as  a  mother.  .  .  .  Oh,  why  was 
he  taken  so  soon,  and  why  was  I  left  behind?  ...  I  do 
not  know  exactly  where  this  letter  will  find  you,  but  give 
your  news  of  me  to  those  who  are  anxious  to  hear,  if  any 
still  exist.  .  .  ." 

The  journey  up  country  began  in  the  first  days  of  May. 
A  letter  from  M.  de  Rassano  furnishes  some  details  as 
to  the  actual  conditions  in  which  it  was  made.    This  letter 

297 


Recollections   of  the   Empress    Eugenie 

is  dated  from  Seven  Oaks  (South  Africa),  the  third  stage 
of  the  journey.    It  is  as  follows: 

"My  dear  Friend, — I  am  writing  a  few  hurried  words 
to  tell  you  that  all  goes  well  up  to  the  present  time.  The 
Empress  is  not  too  fatigued  with  the  journey,  although 
unfortunately  she  is  sleeping  badly.  .  .  .  Our  slow  progress 
gets  terribly  on  her  nerves;  although  she  keeps  her  feel- 
ings well  under  control,  I  can  see  plainly  that  her  sadness 
increases  day  by  day.  I  dare  not  picture  her  grief  when 
we  arrive  at  Itelezi! 

"She  travels  with  Lady  Wood  in  a  carriage  driven 
by  the  general  himself,  and  the  carriage  has  been  made 
as  comfortable  as  possible.  The  days  are  very  warm,  and 
the  nights  are  cool.  The  Empress's  tent  is  wonderfully 
well  arranged.  We  have  with  us  as  escort  twenty  of  the 
Natal  Mounted  Police,  and  we  number  in  all  seventy-five 
persons  and  two  hundred  animals,  horses  and  mules,  the 
greater  part  supplied  by  the  Government.  .  .  . 

"Please  give  our  news  to  Corvisart,  and  tell  him  that 
Scott  says  he  has  written  to  him  by  each  mail." 

On  May  n  the  Empress  wrote  toM.  Pietri: 

"...  One  can  almost  imagine  it  possible  to  trace  his 
footprints,  so  far  is  one  from  mankind  in  these  immense 
solitudes.  .  .  .  And,  as  the  moment  approaches  when  we 
shall  reach  our  journey's  end,  I  am  torn  between  im- 
patience to  arrive  there,  and  dread  ...  I  should  wish 
to  stay  there  for  as  long  as  I  have  courage  to  remain." 

And  again  on  May  23 : 

"...  We  shall  arrive  on  the  25th — that  is  to  say,  on 
Tuesday.     I  shall  like  that  better  than  this  long  waiting, 

which  terribly  unnerves  me.   .   .  . 

298 


Empress   Eugenie  in   Zululand 

"I  am  very  tired.  I  have  been  suffering  with  fever 
for  some  days.  The  weather  has  been  shocking;  one 
night  at  Kambula  we  thought  that  our  tents  would  have 
been  swept  away  by  the  heavy  rain  and  the  strong  wind. 
That  very  day  was  the  worst  day  of  the  fever.  ..." 

The  travelers  did  actually  reach  their  destination  on 
the  evening  of  the  25th.  The  Empress's  tent  was  pitched 
near  the  kraal  in  front  of  which  the  Prince  Imperial 
halted  for  the  last  time.  She  told  me  later  that  she  had 
come  out  of  her  tent  that  evening,  and  walked  straight  to 
the  fatal  spot  where  her  son  fell,  alone  and  unguided  save 
by  her  own  sorrowful  intuition.  But  she  had  not  found 
it  as  she  had  imagined  and  expected.  Near  the  cairn 
raised  by  the  soldiers  on  the  morning  of  June  2,  1879,  a 
cross  had  been  erected  by  order  of  Queen  Victoria.  All 
vestige  of  the  grass  trodden  by  her  son  and  watered  with 
his  blood  in  his  last  fight  had  disappeared  beneath  a  layer 
of  white  cement,  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing.  The 
soil  of  the  donga  had  been  carefully  raked  as  far  as  the 
top  of  the  banks  which  bordered  it.  The  two  soldiers  and 
the  Basuto  guide  who  were  killed  in  the  skirmish  of 
June  1  at  the  same  time  as  the  Prince  were  buried  a  few 
paces  away,  with  the  result  that  the  spot  presented  the 
peaceful  and  orderly  appearance  of  an  English  cemetery 
instead  of  that  of  a  wild  ravine  which  had  witnessed  a 
scene  of  death  and  carnage.  The  Empress  thus  ex- 
perienced a  bitter  disappointment,  if  one  can  rightly  apply 
this  commonplace  word  to  this  particular  instance. 

We  see  from  a  letter  of  M.  de  Bassano  that  her  feel- 
ings were  understood  and  shared  by  all  her  companions, 
and  the  very  next  day  Captain  Slade  busied  himself  in 
removing  the  layer  of  cement  which  greatly  offended  the 

299 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

eyes  of  the  Empress.    This  letter,  dated  May  29,  tells  us 
that  she  was  constantly  going  backwards  and  forwards 
from  the  kraal  to  the  donga. 
M.  de  Bassano  writes: 

"...  The  Empress  can  see  from  her  tent  the  road 
taken  by  the  Prince  from  the  kraal  to  the  donga;  and 
as  it  is  exactly  the  same  season,  the  maize  and  the  grasses 
are  the  same  height  as  they  were  this  time  last  year.  As 
she  goes  from  her  tent  to  the  donga  she  can  picture  the 
poor  Prince,  running  by  the  side  of  his  horse,  vainly  trying 
to  mount  him,  and  prevented  from  so  doing  by  the  tall 
grass  (taller  than  myself  by  30  or  40  centimeters),  cross- 
ing a  first  branch  of  the  donga,  climbing  a  bank,  and 
then  stopping  to  meet  his  foes  in  a  small  hollow  be- 
fore one  reaches  the  main  donga- — which  was  crost  by 
Carey  at  a  point  eighty  paces  away  from  the  Prince  with 
great  ease,  as  we  have  all  been  able  to  verify  for  our- 
selves. The  Empress  is  continually  going  over  this  tragic 
road,  and  passes  most  of  her  time  in  what  we  may  now 
call  the  cemetery." 

June  1. 

"She  has  planted  with  her  own  hands  the  willow 
and  the  ivy  which  we  brought  from  Camden  Place. 
Yesterday  morning  the  Empress  insisted  upon  going 
alone  to  find  the  spot  selected  by  the  Prince  for  the  camp 
of  the  second  division,  where  he  made  his  last  sketch; 
in  order  to  do  this  she  had  to  walk  for  over  three 
hours.  I  accompanied  her  in  the  afternoon,  and 
we  went  over  the  same  ground  together.  .  .  .  She  ate 
nothing  all  day;  her  wonderful  energy  alone  sustained 
her,  and  she  walked  with  a  sort  of  feverish  strength.  .  .  . 

300 


What   the   Zulus   Said 


"I  have  already  told  you,  I  think,  that  we  had  arranged 
to  have  collected  here  as  many  as  possible  of  the  Zulus 
who  took  part  in  the  attack  of  June  I.  Eighteen 
men  have  come,  about  the  same  number  are  still 
missing.  As  the  Empress  wished  that  the  inquiry  should 
be  conducted  by  General  Sir  Evelyn  Wood,  he  began  to 
question  the  Zulus  the  day  after  our  arrival.  I  am  the 
only  other  person  present  at  these  examinations,  which 
have  now  lasted  three  days.  Nothing  is  more  painful  than 
to  find  one's  self  face  to  face  with  these  savages,  and  to 
listen  to  them  explaining  how  they  pursued  and  killed  our 
poor  dear  Prince,  accompanying  their  recital  with  what 
they  consider  appropriate  gestures,  and  which  are  horribly 
significant!  Up  to  now  we  cannot  draw  any  very  certain 
conclusions  from  their  confused  and  often  contradictory 
accounts;  but  they  all  agree  that  the  Prince  turned  and 
fought  like  a  lion,  and  fired  three  revolver  shots,  and  that 
they  left  the  medals  on  his  corpse,  as  their  custom  is  not 
to  despoil  of  their  neck  ornaments  brave  men  who  die 
fighting.  They  all  confirm  the  flight  of  Captain  Carey, 
and  they  showed  us  the  place  where  he  crossed  the  donga, 
eighty  paces  above  the  point  where  the  Prince  stopt. 
We  have  crost  the  donga  on  horseback,  with  the  Em- 
press, exact  y  at  the  same  place,  and  we  have  verified 
that  it  is  impossible  not  to  have  seen  from  it  the  whole 
of  the  hollow  now  occupied  by  the  cairn  and  the  cross; 
one  of  the  Zulus  even  told  us  that,  if  the  fugitives 
had  but  turned  round,  they  would  have  stopt  the 
pursuit.   .   .   . 

"  Au  revoir,  my  dear  friend,  I  often  think  of  you  and 
how  much  you  would  wish  to  be  with  us  near  this  fatal 
donga  where  passed  away  the  last  of  the  family  which  we 
have  both  served  with  such  affection." 

301 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

On  her  side,  the  Empress  wrote  to  M.  Pietri : 

"Ityotyozi   Kraal,  May   30,    1880. 

"My  dear  Monsieur  Pietri, — You  are  doubtless 
aware  that  I  am  only  a  few  steps  from  the  place  where  my 
beloved  son  rested  before  he  was  surprized  by  the  Zulus. 
Here  also  I  take  my  rest,  but  I  do  not  sleep,  my  soul 
is  full  of  bitterness,  regrets,  and  sorrow;  it  is  a  curious 
thing,  but  I  can  only  find  peace  near  these  stones  which 
mark  the  spot  where  he  fell,  fighting,  with  his  last  breath, 
'like  a  lion,'  as  the  Zulus  say.  .  .  . 

"If  you  were  to  see  this  spot,  you  would  understand 
the  surprize  attack  and  the  events  which  followed  it,  but 
what  one  cannot  understand  is  how  this  man  left  a  brother 
officer  and  two  soldiers  to  their  fate  without  giving  them 
the  least  support.  I  have  retraced  for  myself  the  road 
which  he  took,  and  he  must  have  seen  the  Prince  and  heard 
the  revolver  shots,  because  we  have  experimented  with 
one,  and  the  man  who  was  sent  in  Carey's  tracks  heard 
the  shots  quite  plainly.  ...  It  fills  my  heart  with  bit- 
terness to  think  that  this  precious  life  has  been  so 
wantonly  sacrificed,  and  that  this  child,  left  alone,  fell 
fighting  like  a  brave  soldier  with  no  witnesses  of  his 
courage  except  a  handful  of  savages  one  degree  removed 
from  the  brute!  .  .  . 

"But  I  cannot  speak  of  him  any  more;  my  heart  over- 
flows, and  the  wound  bleeds  anew  and  is  powerless  to  heal. 
Even  though  I  summon  all  my  pride  as  a  mother,  yet  I 
feel  that  my  love  is  the  stronger.  .  .  .  But  what  gives  me 
courage  to  plunge  into  this  abyss  of  sorrow  is  the  knowl- 
edge that  this  may  have  caused  him  a  pang  of  regret *  at 

1  The  Empress  evidently  meant  to  say  that  the  Prince  may  have  regretted  that 
none  but  savages  were  present  to  witness  his  last  fight. 

302 


A   Strange   Happening 


the  moment  of  death,  and  I  owe  it  to  his  memory  to  let 
the  world  realize  the  man  that  he  was." 

The  Empress  passed  the  night  of  June  1-2  in  prayer 
by  the  cairn.  Of  the  emotions  of  the  night  nothing  is  said 
in  the  letters  now  before  me;  but  the  Empress  herself 
told  me  something  of  them  in  our  touching  interview 
at  Coombe  Cottage. 

"More  than  once,"  she  said,  "I  noticed  black  forms 
on  the  top  of  the  banks,  which  moved  silently  about  and 
watched  me  through  the  tall  grasses.  This  scrutiny  was 
full  of  curiosity,  but  it  was  not  hostile.  I  believe  these 
savages  wished  rather  to  express  their  sympathy  and  their 
pity!  .  .  .  And  doubtless  these  were  the  very  men  who 
had  killed  my  son  on  the  same  spot.  .  .  . 

"Towards  morning  a  strange  thing  happened.  Al- 
though there  was  not  a  breath  of  air,  the  flames  of  the 
candles  were  suddenly  deflected,  as  if  someone  wished  to 
extinguish  them,  and  I  said  to  him:  'Is  it  indeed  you 
beside  me?    Do  you  wish  me  to  go  away?'  .  .  ." 

Thereupon  she  withdrew  to  her  tent. 

I  do  not  know  which  day  she  left  Ityotyozi,  but  from 
that  moment  she  fell  into  a  state  of  prostration  which 
alarmed  her  companions.  On  June  17  she  wrote  to  M. 
Pietri  from  Mooi  River: 

"This  letter  will  reach  you  by  the  mail  which  precedes 
our  arrival.  I  am  excessively  tired  and  anxious  for  phys- 
ical rest,  as  for  fifty  days  we  have  slept  under  canvas. 
In  two  days  we  shall  once  more  have  a  roof  over  our  heads, 
and  I  am  counting  the  hours,  as  all  the  interest  which  pre- 
viously sustained  me  is  now  over. 

"I  wish  particularly  to  find  at  Camden  Place  only  its 
usual  occupants,  and  these  only  if  they  desire  it.    My  one 

303 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

longing  is  for  rest;   any  visit  would  be  unwelcome  at 
present. 

"Besides,  the  farther  I  travel  down  the  sorrowful  road 
of  life  the  greater  is  my  need  for  rest  and  solitude.  No- 
body can  fill  the  immense  void  which  has  opened  in  my 
existence,  and  to  see  people  only  wearies  me  without  bring- 
ing comfort  to  my  heart.  .  .  ." 


304 


CHAPTER  XV 

FORTY  YEARS  OF  SILENCE 

THE  last  political  act  of  the  Empress  took  place  in 
the  year  1883,  when  Prince  Napoleon  was  arrested 
and  imprisoned  for  several  days  in  the  Conciergerie. 
The  son  of  King  Jerome  always  believed — he  told  me 
so  himself — that  the  Empress  was  responsible  for  the 
hostility  displayed  by  her  son  towards  himself.  I  tried 
in  vain  to  convince  him  that  he  was  wrong;  as  a  matter  of 
fact,  this  idea  was  absolutely  untrue.  If  there  had  been 
any  need  to  excite  the  Prince  Imperial  against  his  cousin, 
who  always  treated  him  as  a  negligible  quantity,  or  as  a 
child  lacking  intelligence  and  will-power,  while  himself 
compromising  the  Bonapartist  cause  by  his  professions  of 
republicanism  and  anti-catholicism,  a  number  of  the  Prince 
Imperial's  friends  would  have  been  only  too  glad  to  have 
fanned  the  flame.  The  truth  is  that  the  Prince,  of  his 
own  initiative,  entertained  a  violent  personal  animosity 
against  Prince  Napoleon,  and  was  resolved  to  fight  him 
without  mercy  whenever  he  crossed  his  path.  Those  who 
are  in  doubt  on  this  point  can  read  in  the  book  I  have 
written  on  the  Prince  Imperial  certain  quotations  from 
remarks  made  by  him  which  show  his  feelings  on  this 
point  perfectly  clearly. 

It  was  in  this  frame  of  mind  that  on  the  night  of  Feb- 
ruary 25-26,  1879,  he  wrote  down  his  last  wishes,  and 
excluded  Prince  Napoleon  from  the  succession,  substitut- 
ing as  his  heir  Prince  Victor,  the  eldest  son  of  Prince 
Napoleon.     The  Empress,  although  she  never  contested 

305 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

her  son's  will,  was  of  an  entirely  different  opinion,  and 
if  the  Prince  had  consulted  her  before  drawing  up  this 
will,  it  is  probable  that  she  would  have  warned  him  of  the 
serious  consequences  of  this  action.  "Take  care,"  she 
might  have  said  to  him,  "if  you  make  Prince  Victor  your 
heir,  to  the  exclusion  of  his  father,  you  will  nullify  the 
Senatorial  decisions  upon  which  the  Empire  was  founded, 
and  by  virtue  of  which  you  hold  your  own  rights."  The 
Prince  would  doubtless  have  replied  that  Prince  Napoleon 
had  forfeited  any  right  to  invoke  in  his  own  favor  either 
these  Senatorial  decisions,  or  the  plebiscites  of  the  Em- 
pire, inasmuch  as  he  had  renounced  the  Imperial  tradi- 
tions by  avowing  himself  a  Republican.  I  shall  not  pass 
any  personal  opinion  on  these  two  points  of  view — the 
reader  must  judge  for  himself. 

The  events  of  the  year  1883  afforded  the  Empress  an 
opportunity  of  making  known  her  views,  which  she  did  in 
a  very  clear,  simple  and  modest  way,  without  any  theat- 
rical display.  She  came  to  Paris,  and  stopt  at  the 
Hotel  du  Rhin,  as  by  selecting  this  particular  hotel 
she  plainly  showed  that  she  wished  her  action  to  be  re- 
garded as  one  of  political  significance.  It  was  at  this 
same  Hotel  du  Rhin  that  Queen  Hortense  stayed  for  some 
time  in  1831  with  her  son  Louis  Napoleon,  and  their 
sojourn  caused  Louis  Philippe's  Government  a  good  deal 
of  embarrassment.1  At  this  time  I  read  in  some  of  the 
newspapers  that  the  Empress  had  had  an  interview  with 
the  Prince  in  the  Conciergerie.  Nothing  of  the  kind 
happened.    The  Empress  never  entertained  the  slightest 

1 1  have  heard  the  Emperor  relate  an  incident  connected  with  this  sojourn  which 
had  greatly  imprest  him.  From  a  window  in  the  hotel  he  had  seen  a  man  throw 
himself  from  the  top  of  the  Colonne  Vendome;  his  body  was  shattered  on 
the  pavement  below.  Was  this  a  warning?  He  often  asked  himself  this  question  at  the 
time. 

306 


Prince   Napoleon   and   the   Nation 

idea  of  asking  permission  to  see  the  Prince,  and  if  she  had 
wished  to  do  so  her  request  would  most  certainly  have 
been  refused.  But  she  asked  the  heads  of  the  Bonapartist 
party  to  meet  her  at  the  Hotel  du  Rhin.  She  talked  to 
them  very  earnestly  touching  the  errors  of  Prince  Na- 
poleon. "I  have  forgiven  him,  why  cannot  you  do  the 
same?"  she  said  to  them.  "Do  you  not  see  that  this 
is  the  only  means  of  preserving  the  unity  and  even  the 
existence  of  our  party?"  The  gentlemen  thus  addrest 
answered:  "It  is  not  a  question  with  us  of  personal  griev- 
ances, and  we  have  not  the  right  to  show  the  same  gen- 
erosity as  your  Majesty.  Our  followers  will  never  con- 
sent to  accept  the  leadership  of  a  man  who  refuses  to 
recognize  what  constitutes  the  strength  of  the  Empire — 
that  is  to  say,  the  combination  of  the  monarchist  and 
democratic  principles,  and  who  opposes  with  all  his 
might  the  accepted  religion  of  the  French  nation.  To 
accept  such  a  man  as  our  chief  would  inevitably  bring 
about  in  a  short  time  the  dissolution  of  the  Imperialist 
party,  which  your  Majesty  foresees  and  dreads  so  greatly." 

The  Empress  was  thus  unable  to  make  any  impression 
on  the  Bonapartist  leaders,  but  Prince  Napoleon  appeared 
grateful  to  her  for  her  intervention,  and  on  the  following 
1st  of  June  he  was  present,  wearing  the  Grand  Cordon  of 
the  Legion  of  Honor,  in  the  little  church  of  St.  Mary  at 
Chislehurst  at  the  celebration  of  Mass  on  the  anniversary 
of  the  death  of  the  Prince  Imperial.  When  I  entered  the 
sacristy  after  Mass,  the  Empress  whispered  to  me:  "Prince 
Napoleon  is  there;  go  and  pay  your  respects  to  him; 
we  must  be  nice  to  him." 

The  original  intention  of  the  Empress  was  to  retain 
Camden  Place  as  a  permanent  residence,  or  to  build  a 
house  in  the  vicinity.     But  she  was  now  more  anxious 

3°7 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

about  the  housing  of  her  beloved  dead  than  about  her  own, 
and  it  was  impossible  to  find  a  suitable  spot  for  a  new 
church  in  the  neighborhood  of  Chislehurst.  The  exist- 
ing church  was  very  small  and  mean,  and  the  new  chapel 
which  had  been  built  on  to  it  to  receive  the  remains  of 
Napoleon  III  was  the  only  addition  possible  owing  to 
lack  of  space  and  the  impossibility  of  acquiring  more  land. 
The  Prince's  tomb  rested  under  a  narrow  side  arch,  incom- 
pletely partitioned  off,  and  it  was  evident  that  such  a 
resting-place  could  not  be  regarded  as  permanent.  The 
Empress  eventually  decided  to  purchase  a  property  in 
Hampshire,  not  far  from  Aldershot  Camp,  which  had 
formerly  belonged  to  Mr.  Longman,  the  well-known 
publisher.  The  park  is  large,  and  extends  across  the  road 
from  Aldershot  to  Sandhurst.  This  part  of  the  property1 
is  thickly  wooded,  and  contains  a  small  lake;  it  is  known 
as  "Compiegne."  There  are  many  beautiful  conserva- 
tories in  the  park,  and  a  residence  formerly  occupied  by 
MacLaren,  the  old  Steward.  There  is  also  extensive 
stabling,  which,  however,  has  remained  unused  since  the 
Empress  gave  up  her  horses  and  carriages  for  the  exclusive 
use  of  automobiles. 

The  stables  have  now  been  converted  into  a  museum, 
containing  many  interesting  souvenirs,  which  will  doubt- 
less be  transferred  later  to  the  projected  annex  of  the 
Malmaison. 

The  original  house  was  merely  a  hunting-seat,  but  the 
new  owner  at  once  realized  the  possibilities  of  the  place, 
and  made  extensive  alterations,  which  were  not  completed 
when  she  took  up  her  residence.  Various  buildings  have 
been  added  to  the  existing  ones  within  the  last  few  years, 
and   now   Farnborough   Hill   is   a   magnificent   residence 

1  On  the  western  side  of  the  road  mentioned  (Translator's  Note). 
308 


At    Farnborough   Hill 


worthy  of  comparison  with  those  noble  ancestral  homes 
which  are  the  glory  of  the  English  countryside. 

The  Empress  has  invested  the  residence,  both  inside 
and  outside,  with  her  own  personality,  and  one  can  best 
describe  Farnborough  Hill  as  a  mansion  in  mourning.  A 
mist  rises  from  the  woods  and  envelopes  the  landscape  in 
a  veil  which  never  disappears  even  in  the  brightest  days 
of  summer.  The  mansion  stands  on  a  hill,  bordered  by 
tall  trees,  and  dominates  the  melancholy  country  which  it 
overlooks.  The  stranger  who  approaches  it  must,  I 
imagine,  surely  feel  that  Farnborough  shelters  a  great  life, 
which  has  been  sorely  wounded  by  the  terrible  blows  of 
Fate  and  is  here  slowly  awaiting  the  end. 

When  one  first  enters  the  house  the  vague  melancholy 
of  the  exterior  defines  itself  as  one  wanders  down  the 
deserted,  dimly-lit  galleries,  where  every  sound  of  foot- 
falls and  of  voices  acquires  a  peculiar  emphasis.  The  walls 
are  hung  with  innumerable  works  of  art,  which  recall  a 
great  artist  or  some  cherished  memory.  The  house  con- 
stitutes an  incomparable  record  of  history,  and  in  the 
evening,  when  a  single  ray  of  electric  light  leaves  the  spec- 
tator in  shadow  and  sheds  its  white  radiance  over  pictures 
and  statues,  a  vanished  world  springs  into  life,  peopled 
with  those  once  well-known  figures  who  are  the  real  in- 
habitants of  the  dwelling,  and  when  the  Empress  passes 
in  the  midst  of  them  one  is  almost  tempted  to  believe  that 
she,  too,  is  a  shadow  of  the  Past. 

But  even  before  occupying  herself  with  her  own  accom- 
modation the  Empress  was  anxious  to  find  a  suitable 
resting-place  for  her  dead.  The  first  time  that  my  wife 
and  I  visited  Farnborough  the  Empress  conducted  us 
through  the  park  to  a  little  gate  which  opened  on  to  a 
lonely  road,  and  after  having  crossed  the  bridge  over  the 

309 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

line  from  London  to  Portsmouth,  we  ascended  a  pine- 
covered  hill,  where  certain  red  marks  indicated  the  trees 
to  be  cut  down.  It  was  on  this  hill  that  the  church  was 
eventually  built  which  serves  as  a  last  resting-place  for 
the  Imperial  dead.  The  construction  of  this  church  was 
entrusted  to  M.  d'Estailleur,  an  architect  from  Paris,  to 
whom  are  due  many  remarkable  buildings  in  France 
which  entitle  him  to  a  worthy  place  in  our  architectural 
history.  The  building  was  completed  in  four  years,  and  in 
1887  the  bodies  of  Napoleon  III  and  his  son  were  trans- 
ported from  the  Church  of  St.  Mary,  at  Chislehurst,  to 
the  crypt  at  Farnborough.  The  tombs  occupy  both  sides 
of  the  underground  chapel;  a  special  pew  marks  the  place 
where  the  Empress  kneels  in  prayer  when  Mass  is  cele- 
brated in  the  crypt,  and  behind  the  altar  is  the  selected 
place  where  she  will  lie  between  her  husband  and  her  son. 
One  day  the  Empress  pointed  out  to  me  the  long  winding 
avenue  which  goes  from  the  church  door  to  the  Aldershot 
road  and  said:  "Look,  this  will  be  my  last  drive!" 

Other  buildings  were  constructed  at  the  same  time  as 
the  church  for  the  residence  of  the  four  monks  of  the  Order 
of  the  Premontres,  whose  duty  was  to  act  as  guardians  of 
the  tombs.  These  monks  have,  however,  now  been  re- 
placed by  a  community  of  Benedictines  expelled  from 
Solesmes,  who  have  at  their  head  an  abbot  ranking  as  a 
bishop.  More  buildings  have  since  been  added  to  the 
original  ones,  and  forty  monks  now  form  the  inmates  of  the 
monastery.  The  Benedictine  Fathers  have  again  taken 
up  those  pious  and  learned  works  which  were  interrupted 
by  persecution,  and — such  is  the  irony  of  life — they  still 
receive  a  subsidy  from  the  government  which  exiled  them! 

The  Empress  was  also  desirous  of  possessing  a  resi- 
dence on  French  soil,  but  she  waited  to  accomplish  her 

310 


The   Villa  at   Cap   Martin 


wish  until  she  thought  political  passions  were  sufficiently- 
calmed  down  to  allow  her  to  live  in  France  without  any 
unpleasantness  for  herself,  or  any  disturbance  of  the 
public  peace  resulting.  Her  choice  of  a  site  for  her  French 
home  fell  on  a  pine-covered  stretch  of  land  at  Cap  Martin, 
near  Mentone.  A  villa  was  accordingly  built  there 
by  her  order,  to  which  she  gave  the  old  Greek  name  for 
Corsica,  in  token  of  her  affection  for  the  island  which 
gave  the  Bonapartes  birth.  The  Villa  Cyrnos  is  so  con- 
structed that  a  view  of  the  Mediterranean  can  be  obtained 
from  every  side.  As  a  background  are  Monte  Carlo  and 
the  Rock  of  Monaco,  bathed  in  a  blue  mist.  It  is  easy 
to  understand  that  this  villa  gives  the  visitor  a  very 
different  impression  from  the  severe  and  majestic  Farn- 
borough,  on  which  rests  continually  the  shadow  of  mourn- 
ing. I  myself  experienced  the  charm  and  the  happy  atmos- 
phere which  all  visitors  sense,  when  I  stayed  at  the  Villa 
Cyrnos  for  some  days  in  April  and  May,  1907,  after  having 
inaugurated  Merimee's  monument  at  Cannes.  The  Villa 
is  on  two  floors,  with  the  exception  of  a  raised  portion  at 
one  end  which  contains  the  rooms  reserved  by  the  affec- 
tionate solicitude  of  the  Empress  for  her  old  and  devoted 
follower,  M.  Franceschini  Pietri,  and  from  here  one  can 
best  enjoy  the  wonderful  sea  view  in  the  direction  of 
Monaco.  The  reception  rooms,  which  form  an  entire  suite 
on  the  ground  floor,  are  approached  by  a  wide  terrace, 
where  the  Empress  passes  a  great  part  of  her  time.  On 
this  terrace  Mile.  Bartet  recited  to  the  Empress  some 
verses  from  one  of  her  best  parts,  and  fortunately  this 
charming  scene  has  been  preserved  for  us  in  a  photograph 
taken  at  the  time. 

"You  have  heard  me  say,"  added  the  Empress,  when 
she   had  finished  telling  me  about  this  incident,   "with 

3" 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

what  rapture  I  applauded  Rachel  when  I  was  quite  a  child. 
My  passion  for  Art  has  not  grown  cold  with  the  passing  of 
years,  but  I  cannot  go  forth  in  search  of  Art;  Art  must 
now  seek  me,  and  bring  with  her  all  her  delights  to  gladden 
me  in  my  retreat.  Presently  you  shall  hear  my  gramo- 
phone, which  now  enables  me  to  listen  to  and  enjoy  entire 
operas  without  troubling  to  go  outside  my  own  house!" 

So,  after  lunch,  we  sat  in  the  hall  at  the  foot  of  the 
wide  staircase,  and  listened  to  the  gramophone,  one  of  the 
most  perfect  I  have  ever  heard.  One  could  recognize  the 
soul  and  the  individual  genius  of  great  artistes  dominating 
the  background  of  choral  and  instrumental  music. 

Another  memory  which  I  retain  of  my  visit  to  Cyrnos 
concerns  M.  Germain  Bapst,  the  well-known  and  pains- 
taking historian  who  has  specialized  in  the  history  of  the 
events  of  1870.  M.  Bapst  had  written  to  M.  Dugue  de 
la  Fauconnerie,  who  had  been  a  witness  of,  or  an  actor  in, 
nearly  all  these  happenings,  concerning  a  delicate  his- 
torical point,  and  in  his  turn  M.  Dugue  consulted  M.  Pietri. 
As  M.  Bapst's  request  arrived  during  my  stay  at  Cyrnos, 
I  was  present  when  M.  Pietri  appealed  to  the  Empress's 
personal  memories.  The  question  at  issue  concerned  an 
interview  which  took  place  in  the  Tuileries  on  August  7, 
1870,  between  the  Regent  and  the  delegates  of  the  par- 
liamentary groups  loyal  to  the  dynasty,  and  I  was  greatly 
imprest  by  the  unerring  precision  with  which  Her 
Majesty  remembered  all  the  names,  facts,  and  words  in 
their  correct  form  and  order.  Which  of  us  at  her  age, 
after  a  lapse  of  thirty-seven  years,  would  be  capable  of 
giving  such   accurate  evidence? 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Empress  presented  her  prop- 
erty of  Arenenberg,  which  recalled  too  vividly  the  happy 

youth  of  her  son,  to  the  Canton  of  Thurgovia,  which  in 

312 


The   Empress   Voyaging 


former  days  had  behaved  so  honorably  towards  the  Bona- 
partes.  But  there  is  still  a  third  residence  where,  during 
the  last  twenty-five  years,  the  Empress  has  passed  some 
peaceful  and  not  entirely  unhappy  days.  I  allude  to  her 
yacht  The  Thistle,  on  which  she  has  taken  so  many  cruises 
in  the  Mediterranean,  and  round  the  coasts  of  Ireland, 
Scotland,  and  Norway.  The  yacht  was  at  Corfu  on  one 
occasion  when  there  was  an  outburst  of  popular  feeling 
against  the  Jews,  and  the  Empress  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  put  forward,  on  behalf  of  the  persecuted 
race,  certain  pleas  of  common  sense  and  Christian  forgive- 
ness which  were  happily  productive  of  good  results. 

The  love  of  the  sea  and  the  passion  for  travel  lured 
her  still  farther  afield.  She  decided  to  see  Egypt  once 
again,  and  she  revisited,  as  an  unobtrusive  tourist,  the 
same  places  where,  in  1869,  she  had  displayed  for  the  last 
time  the  pomp  and  circumstance  of  the  Empire  then  des- 
tined so  soon  to  disappear.  The  Empress  wanted  to  go 
as  far  as  Khartoum,  but  her  entourage  stopt  her  on  the 
way,  as  they  feared  the  effect  which  the  terrible  tropical 
heat  might  have  on  her  health. 

Another  year  the  Empress  touched  at  Ceylon,  and  I 
am  sure  that  she  has  always  regretted  that  she  never  really 
saw  India,  a  country  she  would  have  loved  to  have  known 
and  understood.  She  always  manifested  a  kind  of  re- 
spectful tenderness  towards  the  ancient  civilizations  of 
the  world,  whilst,  on  the  other  hand,  she  took  a  keen  and 
intelligent  interest  in  all  new  ideas.  Her  attention  was 
equally  arrested  by  the  mention  of  Edison  and  by  that  of 
Buddha,  and  I  remember  that  she  spoke  of  Marconi  to 
me  at  a  time  when  wireless  telegraphy  was  still  almost  a 
myth.  "He  has  promised  that  the  first  wireless  message 
from  New  York  to  Europe  shall  be  sent  to  me,"  she  said, 

3!3 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

but  I  do  not  know  whether  Marconi  ever  redeemed  his 
promise. 

The  Empress  differed  indeed  from  the  majority  of  old 
people  who  live  only  in  the  past,  and  who  do  not  wish  to 
know  anything  about  modern  developments,  new  dis- 
coveries, or  new  attitudes  of  mind.  Religiously  faithful 
to  her  old  friendships — at  least  to  such  as  Time  had  still 
left  her — the  Empress  was  always  ready  to  reciprocate 
new  affections  in  the  circle  where  she  had  formerly  found 
the  old.  Talent,  youth,  never  ceased  to  exercise  their 
potent  spell  which  she  did  not  try  to  resist.  After  the 
parents  came  the  children,  and  after  the  children 
came  the  grandchildren,  and  I  have  lived  long  enough 
to  see  the  Empress  surrounded  by  three  generations  in 
turn. 

Those  who  have  visited  Farnborough  and  Cyrnos 
during  the  last  twenty  years  may  have  met  there  Solange 
de  Lesseps,  the  young  cousin  of  the  Empress,  now  Com- 
tesse  de  Mora,  her  niece  Madame  d'Attainville,  Princess 
de  la  Moskowa,  daughter  of  Prince  Charles  Bona- 
parte, Her  Majesty's  two  great-nephews,  the  Duke 
of  Alva  and  the  Comte  de  Mora;  Comte  Walewski,  the 
Comte  Chevreau,  the  Comte  Clary,  son  of  the  Clary  who 
served  the  Prince  Imperial  in  his  exile,  after  having 
watched  over  him  during  the  campaign  of  1870,  and  lastly 
the  young  writer  who  bears  with  so  much  distinction  the 
heritage  of  a  great  name,  to  whom  the  Empress  gave  the 
inspiration  some  years  ago  for  a  charming  book — M. 
Lucien  Daudet. 

I  could  doubtless  mention  a  host  of  others  if  the  hope- 
less state  of  my  sight  had  not  so  often  debarred  me  from 
availing  myself  of  the  Empress's  kind  hospitality. 

But  alas!  death  has  of  late  been  busy  in  her  personal 


Reminiscence 


entourage.  The  old  servants,  the  faithful  companions  of 
exile,  have  disappeared  one  by  one,  and  I  must  not  here 
forget  the  oldest,  most  devoted  and  most  faithful  of  them 
all — M.  Franceschini  Pietri,  my  old  and  very  dear  friend, 
whose  death  leaves  a  vacant  place  never  to  be  filled. 
After  me  none  will  remain  of  those  who  surrounded  the 
Imperial  Family  in  1 871,  and  who  were  known  as  the 
"Little  Court"  of  Camden  Place. 

When  these  lines  appear  the  Empress  Eugenie  will 
be  no  more,  but  she  shall  not  descend  into  the  oblivion 
to  which  the  twentieth  century  respectfully  consigns  the 
greater  number  of  the  Royal  personages  of  the  nineteenth. 

Rejuvenated  by  death  she  shall  live  once  more  in  her 
poetic  beauty,  in  her  exquisite  grace  as  on  the  day  when 
Love  took  her  by  the  hand  and  led  her  to  a  Throne,  that 
day  when  the  French  nation,  even  the  enemies  of  the 
dynasty,  fell  in  love  with  her;  she  shall  become  once  more 
what  she  was  for  twenty  years — the  principal  figure  in  a 
wonderful  picture,  the  incarnation  of  French  Society  at  a 
time  when  France  swayed  the  world  by  her  thought  and 
by  the  might  of  her  arms,  above  all  when  she  was 
dazzlingly  preeminent  in  the  domain  of  art  and  taste, 
and  enjoyed  an  incomparable  and  fascinating  social 
prestige.  Those  who  remember  these  things  and  explore 
the  history  of  those  times  cannot  but  recall  the  Empress 
and  pay  homage  to  her  memory.  Her  name  will  tell  the 
whole  story;  her  image  will  be  the  symbol  of  the  time  when 
she  lived  and  reigned. 

But  those  who  knew  her  well — and  how  few  they  are 
to-day — will  refuse  to  see  in  her  only  the  brilliant  per- 
sonification of  the  elegance  and  splendor  of  the  Second 
Empire.      Even    when    to    the    triumphs    of   the    lovely 

31S 


Recollections   of  the   Empress   Eugenie 

woman,  whose  beauty  enhanced  the  brilliance  of  the 
Crown  diamonds,  one  adds  the  devotion  of  the  "  Sister  of 
Charity  of  Amiens,"  one  is  still  far  from  doing  justice  to 
her  memory,  or  of  appreciating  her  as  she  really  was.  Her 
individuality  was  peculiarly  her  own — she  differed  in 
everything  from  that  society  at  the  head  of  which  circum- 
stances had  placed  her,  and  of  which,  by  some  strange  and 
obstinate  irony  of  Fate,  she  will  remain  the  accepted  type 
in  the  eyes  of  future  generations.  No — the  Empress  did 
not  belong  to  the  time  or  the  environment  in  which  I  knew 
her;  she  never  thoroughly  understood  the  characters  of 
the  men  and  women  by  whom  she  was  surrounded;  hence 
arose  in  her  a  wonder  and  astonishment  which  she  never 
entirely  shook  off.  Those  around  her  were  jesters  or 
selfish  schemers,  whilst  she  gave  herself  over  to  dreams  or 
generous  indignation;  and  she  remained  a  convinced 
idealist  in  the  midst  of  a  society  bent  wholly  upon  ma- 
terial ends. 

She  adored  what  her  world  looked  upon  with  contempt, 
and  she  treated  with  contempt  those  things  which  that 
world  worshiped.  A  glance  at  the  notebooks  in  which 
she  wrote  down  the  reflections  inspired  by  her  reading  or 
the  words  which  had  imprest  her  would  have  sufficed  to 
reveal  the  entire  lack  of  sympathy  and  understanding 
which  existed  between  herself  and  those  who  surrounded 
her.  She  did  not  understand  these  people,  and  they  never 
understood  her. 

This  woman,  so  much  admired,  was,  in  reality,  very 
little  known,  notwithstanding  the  fact  that  she  lived  for 
twenty  years  in  the  fierce  light  which  universal  curiosity 
throws  upon  a  throne.  But  when  the  imagination  of  the 
masses  once  takes  hold  of  a  false  conception  of  a  character 
it  is  difficult  indeed  to  remove  the  delusion. 

316 


The   Empress   and   the   Great   War 

I  have  endeavored  in  the  foregoing  pages  to  destroy 
the  "legend"  of  the  Empress  Eugenie,  and  to  replace  it 
by  a  true  story,  and  also  to  present  a  life-like  portrait, 
giving  proofs  of  every  statement  and  marshaling  an  array 
of  facts  which  lend  one  another  mutual  support.  More 
particularly  it  has  been  my  object  to  make  plain  to  the 
younger  generation  of  Frenchmen,  to  whom  the  Empress 
is  merely  a  name  out  of  the  distant  past,  the  real  and 
ardent  patriotism  of  this  woman,  to  whom  a  certain  class 
of  newspapers  were  wont  to  allude  as  "The  Spaniard." 

Have  I  succeeded  in  proving  that  the  Empress  was  a 
good  and  a  great  Frenchwoman?  I  honestly  believe  so, 
and  I  think  that  I  shall  have  convinced  at  any  rate  all 
those  in  whose  hearts  undying  vindictiveness  does  not 
perpetuate  undying  injustice. 

Those  persons  who  have  had  the  honor  of  meeting 
Her  Majesty  during  the  last  two  years  (1914-1916)  know 
with  what  an  uplifted  soul,  with  what  indestructible  faith, 
and  with  what  ardent  prayers  for  our  heroic  soldiers  the 
Empress  followed  the  varying  phases  of  that  terrible 
struggle  which,  dumb  and  trembling,  we  are  watching 
to-day. 

Can  it  be  that  God  will  grant  her  the  supreme  con- 
solation of  seeing  before  her  death  the  final  triumph  and 
the  glorious  revenge  of  that  beloved  France,  her  true 
country,  which,  even  as  a  child  she  dearly  loved,  over 
which  she  reigned  for  eighteen  years,  and  which  nothing 
ever  succeeded  in  displacing  from  her  heart? 


3i7 


INDEX 


Achille,  Prince,  239 

Adelon,  M.,  author  s  interview  with,  92 

Aguado,  Mme.,  139 

at  Chislehurst,  238 

at  funeral  of  Emperor,  269 
Aldershot,  Prince  Imperial  at,  282 
Alexander,    Tsar,    a    sympathetic   letter 
to  Empress,  173 

Prince  Imperial  and,  289 
Alphand,  M.,  54 
Alsace,    M.    G.'s    proposals    regarding, 

and  Bismarck's  views,  220-1 
Alva,  Duke  of,  314 

Amiens,   a   cholera  outbreak   at,  30,  67 
Arenenberg,  Empress  at,  282 

presented    to    Canton    of  Thurgovia, 

312. 
"Aumoniers      des      dernicres      prieres," 

foundation  of,  15 
Austria  and  Franco-Prussian  War,  94 

Bacciochi  and  the  Empress,  36 

presents  Empress  to  Louis-Napoleon, 
21 
Bapst,  M.  Germain,  312 
Baraguay,  Marshal,  100,  109 
Baroche,  M.,  54 

Bartet,  Mile.,  recites  to  Empress,  311 
Bartholony,  M.,  at  Chislehurst,  2^2 
Bazaine,     Marshal,     Bismarck     inquires 
as  to  Regnier's  credentials,  193 
court-martialed,  23 X 
devotion  of,  and  of  Metz  Army,  216 
French    feeling    against,    after    Metz, 

230 
introduces   Bourbaki   to   Regnier,    183 
loyalty  to  the  Regent,  184 
Napoleon    III    resigns    command    in 

favor  of,  115 
sends   a   negotiator   to   Bismarck,    203 
testifies    to    authenticity    of    Boyer's 
mission,  212 
Beatrice,    Princess,    accompanies   Queen 
Victoria  to  Chislehurst,  241 
and  Queen  Victoria,  34 
Bernstorff,  Count,  188 

an  interview  with  Empress,  219 
transmits    reply    of    King    of    Prussia 
to  Empress,  223 
Bernstorff    papers,    two    unknown    tele- 
grams in,  226  (note) 
Bertrand,  M.,  fences  at  Chislehurst,  252 
Beyle,  Monsieur,  13,  16 
Biarritz,    an    interview    with    the    Em- 


press at,  3 
life  of  the  Empress  at,  43 


Bibesco,  Prince,  54 

Bigge,    Captain    (Lord    Stamfordham), 
accompanies  Empress  to  Itelezi,  295 
Bismarck,  a  query  to  Bazaine,  193 
conditions  for  peace  treaty,  215 
conversations    with     General     Boyer, 

202  et  sea. 
his   attitude  towards   a   Republic   for 

France,  115 
his  one  aim,  222 
his   statements   to   Boyer  a   tissue  of 

lies,  217 
in  negotiation  with  Favre  and  Thiers, 

217 
interviews  with  Regnier,  181,  183,  189 
M.   G.'s  negotiations  with,   201,   219, 

220 
on  Regnier,  202 
on  the  French  situation,  206 
Blanche,  Mile.,  107 
Blanqui  incites  to  rebellion,  115 
Boissier,  M.,  54 

Bonapartist  party,  Empress  and,  307 
Bonheur,  Rosa,  a  decoration  for,  31 
Borthwick,    Algernon    (Lord    Glenesk), 

_      243  .  . 

Bourbaki,    General,    arrives    at    Chisle- 
hurst, 182 
at  Prussian  headquarters,  185 
personal  position  of,  188 
Regnier's  conversations  with,  183 
Bourbaki,    Mme.    Lebreton    {see   Lebre- 

ton-Bourbaki) 
Bousoatel,   Edouard,   informs   author  of 

capitulation  of  Sedan,  133 
Boyer,  General,  182  (note),  183 
diary  of,  202 
discloses    conditions   of  peace   to   the 

Regent,  215 
informs    Empress    of   capitulation    of 

Metz,  226 
reaches  Chislehurst,  211 
resumes     conversations     initiated     by 

Regnier  with  Bismarck,  202 
returns  to  Metz,  211 
Brame,  M.,  112 

his   portfolio  in    General   de   Palikao's 
Cabinet,  no 
Brand,   Mr.,  Speaker  of  the  Commons, 

249 
Buckhurst,    Lord    (afterwards    Earl    de 

la  Warr),  242 
Budaille,  Thcophore,  74 
Buffet,  M.,  retirement  of,  104 

spokesman    of    a    deputation    to    the 
Empress,  145 


319 


Index 


Buloz,  Francois,  113 
Burgoyne,  Lady,  168 
Burgoyne,    Sir    John,    practical    assist- 
ance to  the  Empress  by,  167 
Busson-Billault,  M.,  no,  112,  150,  280 

Cabarrus,  M.,  18 
Cambridge,  Duke  of,  287 
Camden   Place,   Chislehurst,   a  mysteri- 
ous crime  at,  233 

the  house  described,  233  et  seq. 
Campan,  Mme.,  her  "Memoirs,"  75 
Canrobert,    Marechale,     at    funeral    of 

Emperor,  269 
Canrobert,  Marshal,  184,  185 
Cap  Martin,  Empress  at,  311 
Cape  Town,  Empress  arrives  at,  296 
Captain,  loss  of,  168 
Carabanchel,  entertainments  at,  18 
Carette,     Mme.,     at     Emperor's     obse- 
quies, 269 
Carey  incident,  the,  294  et  seq. 
Caro,  M.,  and  Empress,  37 
Cavendish,  Lord  Frederick,  murder  of,  242 
Cavendish,  Lord  George,  242 
Cetewayo,  King  of  the  Zulus,  297 
Ceylon,  Empress  at,  313 
Chabaud-Latour,  General,  100 

tribute  to   chairmanship  of  Empress, 
102  (note) 
Chalons,  a  council  of  war  at,  116 
Charlotte,  Empress,  the  tragedy  of,  58 
Chelmsford,    Lord,    replaced    by    Lord 

Wolseley,  292 
Chevreau,  Albert,  239 
Chevreau,  Comte,  314 
Chevreau,  Henri,  no,  117,  150 

announces    march    of   Crown    Prince 
of  Prussia  on  Paris,  122 

hands   a  fateful  telegram  to  the  Re- 
gent, 133 

his    admiration    of   Empress's    activi- 
ties, 113 

Prefet  of  the  Seine,  100 
Chevreau,  Leon,  in,  201 

receives    Regnier    at    Chislehurst,    189 

settles  at  Richmond,  239 
Chislehurst,   an   affecting   scene   at,    271 

Empress  settles  at,  180 

evenings  at,  250 

funeral  of  Emperor  at,  267  et  seq. 

life  at,  233 

Sundays  at,  250 

the  Emperor's  study  at,  246 

the  Empress's  rooms  at,  236 

visit  of  Queen  Victoria  to,  241 
Clary,  Comte,  265,  314 

an    instance    of    Emperor's     indiffer- 
ence to  money  matters,  279  (note) 

at  Chislehurst,  238 
Clary,  Comtesse,  97,  175 
Cochin  China  declined  by  Germany,  221 

3 


Coffinieres,    General,    commands    town 

of  Metz,  204,  206 
Compiegne,  a  love  avowal  at,  23 

the  Empress  as  hostess  at,  51 

visit  of  Tsar  and  Tsarina  to,  52 
Conneau,   Dr.,  and   Dr.   Germain  See's 
diagnosis,  259  (note) 

at  Chislehurst,  238 

at  obsequies  of  Emperor,  265 
Conneau,   Lieutenant  Eugene,    97,   139 

at  Hastings,  175 
Conneau,  Louis,  84 

and  the  Prince  Imperial,  56,  57 

at  Chislehurst,  238 

authorized   to  follow   course   at  Mili- 
tary Academy,  Woolwich,  272 
Conti,  Eugene,  158 

hears  of  capitulation  of  Sedan,  133 

illness  of,  91 

moral  courage  of,  134 

the  Empress's  farewell  to,  160 
Corfu,  an  anti-Semitic  outburst  at,  313 
Corps    Ugislatif,    the,    a    deputation    to 
Empress  from,  145 

summoned  by  the  Empress,  104 
Corvisart,  Baron,  7,  27,  265 

at  Chislehurst,  239 
Cowes,  the  Imperial  family  at,  256 
Cowley,   Lord   and   Lady,   at   obsequies 

of  Emperor,  268 
Cremieux,  M.,  188,  208 

D'Andelarre,     Marquis,     contradicts 

Ernest  Picard,  125 
D'Anglas,  Boissy,  126 
D'Antas,  Chevalier,  296 
D'Antemarre,  General,  100 
D'Arcos,  Mme.,  243 
Darimon,  Alfred,  259  (note) 
D'Arjuzon,  Comte,  164 
Daru,  Comte,   interviews  Empress,   145 

retirement  of,  104 
D'Attainville,  Mme.,  314 
Daudet,  Lucien,  314 
Dauvergne,  General,  183 
David,  Jerome,  150,  239 

and  M.  Regnier,  181 

and  M.  Thiers,  132 

Minister  of  Public  Works,  no 

visits  Empress  at  Chislehurst,  181 
Davillier,  Comte,  265 

at  Chislehurst,  239 
Davillier,  Comtesse,  at  Chislehurst,  238 
D'Ayguesvives,     Comte,     introduces     a 

deputation,  145 
De    Bassano,    Due,    and    obsequies    of 
Emperor,  263,  268 

at  Chislehurst,  238 

conveys   fatal   news   to  Empress,   293 

details    of    Empress's    visit    to    Zulu- 
land,  297  et  seq. 

visits  Cetewayo's  prison,  297 


20 


Index 


De    Bassano,    Napoleon,    Marquis,    295 

De  Beust,  Count,  and  Eugenie,  36 

De  Bouville,  Comte,  239 

De  Brimont,  M.,  133 

De    Cambaceres,    Due,    and    obsequies 

of  the  Emperor,  263 
De    Cassagnac,     Paul,     the    Empress's 

appeal  to,  92 
De  Castelbajac,  Marquis,  20  (and  note) 
De    Chambord,    Comte,    and    the    Im- 
perialist party,  2X1,  246,  276,  281 
De  Cosse-Brissac,  Comte,  97,  100 

first  meeting  with,  3 
De  Coulanges,  Fustel,  64 
De  Dalmas,  M.,  105,  312 
De  Durfort  de  Civrac,  Comte,  148 
De    Failly,    defeat    of,    and    mutiny    of 

his  troops,  127 
De  Genouilly,  Admiral  Rigault,  no 
De  Goltz,  Count,  36 
De    Gramont,    Due,    a    bellicose    note 

from,  87 
Deguerry,    Abbe,    cure    of   the    Made- 
leine, 65 
De  Hatzfeldt,  M.,  and  Regnier,  181 
De    Hubner,    Baron,    Memoirs    of,    80 

(note) 
Dejazet,  Mile.,  79 

De  Keratry,  M.,  his  part  in  the  Revo- 
lution, 138 
De  la  Graviere,  Admiral  Jurien,  7,  97, 
117,  139,  145,  154,  156,  158,  159 
a  typical  remark  of,  99 
disillusioned  regarding  Trochu,  145 
submits    a    manuscript    to    the    Em- 
press, 253 
De  la   Moskowa,   Prince,  at  funeral   of 

Emperor,  268 
De  la  Moskowa,  Princess,  97,  314 

at  Napoleon's  funeral,  269 
De  la  Pagerie,  Due  Tascher,  103 
De  la  Poeze,  Comtesse,  145 

at  funeral  of  Emperor,  269 
De    Larminat,    Mile.,    maid    of    honor 

to  Empress,  54,  84,  238 
De  La  Tour  d'Auvergne,  Prince,  no,  112 
D'Elbee,  Mile.,  84 

De  Lesseps,  M.,  advice  to  the  Empress 
before  the  Revolution,  141 
gains  time,  155 

Order  of  Star  of  India  for,  154 
temperament  of,  10 
De  Lesseps,  Solange,  314 
Delessert,  Cecile,  marriage  of,  12 
Delessert,  Edouard,  12 
Delessert,  Gabriel,  12 
De  Lezay-Marnesia,  M.,  136 

composes  Empress's  manifesto,  103 
De  Montebello,  General,  155 
De  Montijo,  Count   Cyprien   (father  of 
Empress  Eugenie),  8 
death  of,  15 


De  Montijo,  Comtesse,  leaves  Paris,  24 

matrimonial  projects  of,  10 

Merimee's  correspondence  with,  9 
De  Montijo,   Comtesse,   undaunted   op- 
timism of,  10 
De  Mora,  Comte  and  Comtesse,  314 
De  Mouchy,  Duchesse,  239,  249 
De  Nadaillac,   Comte,   marriage  of,    12 
De  Nadaillac,  Comtesse  (set  Delessert, 

Cecile) 
De  Palikao,  General,  106 

forms  a  Cabinet,  109 

his  first  speech,  no 
De    Parieu,    M.,    and    the    question    of 

England's  mediation,  91 
De  Paris,  Comte,  281 
De   Piennes,   Marquis,   96,   98,   99,    162 

informs    the    Empress    of   serious    re- 
verses, 99 

witnesses     the     premature     rejoicings 
in  Paris,  96 
De  Pierres,  Baron,  145 
De    Praslin,    Duchesse,    Eugenie's    rem- 
iniscences of,  55 
Deraisme,  Mme.,  54 
De  Rayneval,  Comtesse,  97 
De  Richemont,  M.,  257 
De  Rothschild,  Baroness  Meyer,  257 
De    Rothschild,    Hannah    (Countess    of 

Rosebery),  258 
De  Sancy-Parabere,  Mme.,  269 
De  Saulcy,  Mme.,  239 

at  funeral  of  Napoleon  III.,  269 
De  Saulcy,  M.,  at  Chislehurst,  239 
D'Escland,  Fery,  at  Chislehurst,  252 
De  Siskow,  M.,  186 
De  Suarez  d'Aulan,  Comte,  154 
D'Essling,  Princess,  97 

chided  by  the  Empress,  99 
D'Estailleur,    M.,    constructs    a    church 

at  Farnborough,  310 
De  Talhouet,  M.,  retirement  of,  104 
De  Talleyrand,  Duchesse,  239 
De  Tarente,  Duchesse,  239 
De  Valabregue,   M.,   arranges   charades 

at  the  Tuileries,  72 
De  Valdrome,  Chevandier,  96 
De  Villers,  General,  183 
De    Worms,     Baron     Henry,     and     the 

Prince  Imperial,  257 
Des  Varannes,  M.,  296 
D'Havrincourt,  Marquis,  87 
Divorce,    Empress    Eugenie's    views,    54 
Douay,  General  Abel,  death  of,  95 
Du  Cane,  Colonel,  251 
Duguc    de    la     Fauconnerie,    M.,     105, 

312 
Dupcrre,  Charles,  39,  175 

a    much-discust    telegram    to:    author 
on,  15 1-2  (notes) 

an  interview  with  the  Regent,  130 

pleads  for  pardon  for  author,  196 


321 


Ind 


ex 


Duperre,  views  and  reports  on  Camden 

Place,  Chislehurst,  233 
Durban,  Empress  at,  297 
Duruy,  Victor,  5 
Duval,    Raoul,    a    private    conversation 

with  Empress,  275  et  seq. 
Duval,  Raoul,  on  motives  which  deter- 
mined    Prince     Imperial     to     leave 
for  South  Africa,  288 
Duvernois,  Clement,  no,  239 
a    proposition    of,    to    avert    revolu- 
tion, 141 
communicates     news     of     Paris     re- 
joicings, 96 
death  of,  112 

presses  Trochu  to  explain,  124 
provisions  Paris:  his  successor's  tribute, 
112 

Edinburgh,     Duke    of,    at    lying    in 

state  of  Emperor,  263 
Edmond,     Charles,     his     revelations    of 

Prince  Jerome  Napoleon,  38 
Egger,  M.,  and  the  Empress,  52 
Ely,  Lady,  at  Chislehurst,  241 
Ems  incident,  the,  87 
England,  and  the  Franco-Prussian  War, 

93 
Prince  Imperial's  tribute  to,  289 

Eudes  incites  to  rebellion,  115 

Eugenie,    Empress,    a    birthday    present 

to,  237 

a  lawyers'  tea  at  Compiegne,  54 

a  painful  anniversary,  255 

a  pilgrimage  to  Itelezi,  295  et  seq. 

a  rough  crossing  to  England,  168 

a  trip  to  Spain,  25c 

a  Turco  and  his  rifle,  126 

a   typical    letter   to   her   husband,    82 

activities  and  influence  of,  112 

an    affecting    scene    after    funeral    of 
her  husband,  271 

an   indispensable    condition    for   nego- 
tiations on  peace,  214 

an   instance   of  her   magnanimity,   88 

and  Bourbaki,  182  et  seq. 

and  her  son's  studies,  5 

and  Mademoiselle  Rachel,  13 

and  M.  Egger,  52 

and  politics,  79 

and  Rosa  Bonheur,  34 

and  Stendhal,  13,  16 

and  the  capitulation  of  Metz,  197 

and  the  cholera  outbreak  at  Amiens, 
30,67 

and  the  Great  War,  317 

and  the  question  of  England's  media- 
tion, 91 

and    Thiers'    extraordinary    statement 
regarding  Sedan,  131  et  seq. 

anxiety    for    her    husband    and    son, 
128,  129,  292 


Eugenie,  Empress,  appointed  Regent,  91 
et  seq. 

appreciation  of  Metz  Army,  227 

apprised  of  serious  reverses,  98 

arrives  at  Cape  Town,  296 

as  actress,  19 

as  guide  at  Malmaison,  89 

as  hostess,  51,  53 

at  a  State  ball  at  the  Tuileries,  70 

at  Sacre-Cceur  convent,  n 

at  the  Tuileries,  61  et  seq. 

attends  a  pauper  funeral,  15 

attitude  of,  on  the  declaration  of 
war,  88 

birth  of,  8 

ceases  to  negotiate  after  fall  of  Metz, 
231 

conversations  with  Prince  Metter- 
nich,  115 

corresponds  with  the  Tsar  and  the 
Emperor  of  Austria,  171  et  seq. 

counseled  to  "embrace"  General 
Trochu,  117 

criticized  for  influencing  the  Em- 
peror, 119 

death  of  her  son:  how  she  received 
the  news,  293 

declines  to  adopt  disguise  in  her 
flight,  166 

declines  to  leave  Paris,  140,  141 

desires  an  armistice,  225 

diplomacy  as  Regent,  92 

efFaces  herself,  282 

exceeds  her  responsibility,  105,  119 

failure  of  diplomatic  negotiations, 
80  (note) 

farewell  to  husband  and  son,  90 

favorite  authors  of,  62 

flight  of,  152  et  seq. 

forbids  Mellinetto  fire  on  populace,  145 

full  maiden  name  of,  n  (note) 

her  anger  at  Prussian  proposals  for 
peace,  218 

her  deposition  pronounced  in  the 
Chamber,  149 

her  gift  of  eloquence,  6 

her  love  of  music,  12 

her  love  of  the  sea,  46 

her  lpyalty  to  her  husband,  29 

her  manifesto  as  Regent,  103 

her  mournful  night  vigil,  267 

her  worshipers,  known  and  un- 
known, 36  et  sea. 

how  her  outspoken  remarks  leaked 
out,  71 

how  she  received  news  of  capitula- 
tion of  Sedan,  134 

hunting   parties   at   Fontainebleau,   23 

ignorant  of  Merimee's  visit  to  Thiers, 

.    I3I 

in  consultation  with  General  Trochu, 
117 


322 


Index 


Eugenie,  Empress,  in  exile,  170  et  seq. 
inspects  and  founds  hospitals,    125-6 
institutes    a    committee    for    defense, 

121 

interview  with  Prince  Napoleon,   275 
joins    Prince    Imperial    at    Hastings, 

169 
journeys  to  the  East,  82 
lands  at  Cowes,  169 
last  political  act  of,  305 
life  at  Fontainebleau,  47 
marriage  of,  24 
negotiates  with  German  headquarters, 

201 
news  of  two  serious  reverses,  99 
objects  to  her  son  entering  Austrian 

army,  285 
obtains  pardon  for  a  French  prisoner, 

on  Court  life,  $6 

on  the  relations  of  husband  and 
wife,  34 

orders  removal  of  national  treasures 
to  Brest,  125 

pardons  author,  196 

perfect  understanding  with  her  hus- 
band, 253 

portraits  of,  3,  4 

presides  at  a  meeting  of  Privy  Council 
and  Ministers,  100 

quiet  courage  of,  66-7 

receives  Regnier,  190  et  seq. 

refuses  a  disguised  abdication  pro- 
posal, 146 

refuses  intervention  of  foreign  Powers, 

resemblance  to  Marie  Antoinette,  75 

returns  to  Chislehurst,  286 

returns  to  the  Tuileries,  100 

romance   of  Louis-Napoleon   and,   20 

"slumming"  in  Paris,  65 

strange  visitors  to,  113 

suggested  peace  proposals  of,  220 

summons  Corps  ttgislatif,  105 

the  "  party"  of,  76  et  seq. 

tries  to  dissuade  Prince  Imperial 
from  going  to  South  Africa,  287 

two  aims  of,  113 

views  on  divorce,  54 

visitors  at  Chislehurst,  239  et  seq. 

visits  Woking  prison,  249 

wonderful  memory  of,  312 
Eugenio,  Count  of  Montijo,  and  Godoi, 

8 
Evans,    Dr.,    his    services    to    the    Em- 
press in  flight,  163  et  seq. 
Evans,  Mrs.,  as  hostess,  167 

Farnborough,  a  link  with  Chislehurst 

..  at'  235-       • 

"a  mansion  in  mourning,"  309 

an  incident  at,  33 


Farnborough,  house    at,    purchased    by 

Empress,  308 

the  crypt  at,  310 
Fave,  General,  175 

Favre,  Jules,  a  resolution  on  deposition 
in  the  Chamber,  149 

asks  for  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  121 

proposes  dethronement,  138 

Trochu's  interview  with,  125 
Felix,  M.,  70  (note) 
Fencing  at  Chislehurst,  252 
Feraud,  126 
Ferdinand     VII     and     Colonel     Porto- 

carrero,  9 
Ferrieres,  M.  Regnier's  interviews  with 

Bismarck  at,  181,  182,  192 
Ferry,  Gabriel,  149 
Feuillet,  Octave,  19  (note) 

and  the  Empress,  38 
Filon,  Augustin  (author),  a  cipher  left 
at,  and  recovered  from,  the  Tuileries, 

|S3,  156,  157 
a  letter  from  Empress  on  a  sad  an- 
niversary, 255 
a  much-discust  telegram,  151 
a  soul-stirring  interview  with  Empress, 

3? 

advises  Empress  that  she  is  exceed- 
ing her  powers,  105 

an  adventure  underground,  107 

an  unsuspected  meeting  with  the 
Empress,  65 

and  the  mystery  of  Regnier,  194 

appointed  tutor  to  Prince  Imperial,  1 

as  proof  corrector,  247 

at  obsequies  of  Emperor,  261  et  seq. 

becomes  secretary  to  the  Regent,  91 

broaches  the  subject  of  marriage  to 
Prince  Imperial,  285 

death  of  his  father:  a  newspaper's 
"gratitude,"  93  (note) 

disobeys  the  Empress,  180 

eye  trouble  of,  314 

his  room  at  Saint  Cloud,  85 

impressions  of  a  lawyers'  tea  at 
Compiegne,  55 

in  disgrace  and  his  pardon,   181,   196 

interviews  M.  Regnier,  176  et  seq. 

loses  a  collection  of  "letters  of  mani- 
acs," 246  (note) 

on  royal  resemblances,  75 

on  the  capitulation  of  Sedan  con- 
troversy, 131  et  seq. 

on  the  political  role  of  Empress,  75 

presented  to  Queen  of  Holland,  74 

presented  to  the  Empress,  1,  2 

reminiscences  of  Empress's  many 
admirers,  36  et  seq. 

the  Revolution  and  flight  of  the 
Empress,  152 

witnesses  premature  rejoicings  in  Paris, 
96 


323 


Index 


Filon,  M.  (father  of  author),  at  Com- 
piegne,  53 

death  of,  93  (note) 

takes  tea  with  the  Empress,  54 
Fleury,  General,  23 

at  funeral  of  the  Emperor,  268 

obtains  guarantees  from  Tsar,  94 
Fleury,  Mme.,  at  Napoleon's  funeral,  269 
Florence,  Empress's  stay  in,  283 
Flowers,    Miss,    English    governess    of 

Empress,  15 
Fontainebleau,    a    series    of    accidents 
at,  sp 

an  incident  at,  47 

hunting  parties  at,  23 

life  at,  46  et  seq. 

tea  in  the  woods  of,  49 

the  "great  days"  of,  47 
Fodor,  Mr.,  tragic  death  of,  238 
Forbach,  Frossard  defeated  at,  98 
Fortoul,  Mme.,  insults  Empress,  23 
France,  a  black  year  for,  84  et  seq. 

a  Regency  appointed  in,  84  et  seq. 

mobilization  in,  in 

Napoleon  proclaimed  Emperor  of,  23 

Republic  of:  Bismarck  and,  115 

Republic  proclaimed,  163 

Revolution  in,  124,  154 

the  Ministry  resigns,  109 

the  Seize  Mai  landslide  in,  284 
Francis  Joseph,   Emperor,   assures   Em- 
press of  efforts  for  peace,  173 

refuses  to  accede  to  Prince  Imperial's 
wish,  286 
Franco-Prussian    war,    England    stands 
aloof,  93 

the  Emperor  leaves  to  join  his  troops, 

9°. 
Frederick    Charles,    Prince,    and    Bour- 
baki,  188 
headquarters  of,  185 
French    Press,    the,    and    the    Franco- 
Prussian  war,  92  et  seq. 
Frohsdorf,    Comte   de    Paris's   visit   to, 

281 
Frossard,  General,  advance  of,  95 
and  author,  1 

and  the  Prince  Imperial,  56 
at  funeral  of  Emperor,  268 
defeated  at  Forbach,  98 
on  the  Prussian  stipulation  for  peace 
negotiations,  212 

Gambetta,  M.,  188,  208 
and  the  fall  of  Metz,  2301 
pronounces    deposition     of     Emperor 

and  Empress,  149 
result  of  his  telegram,  157 
vetoes  a  court  of  inquiry,  230 
Gamble,  Mr.,  58 

Gardonne,    M.,    and    the    flight    of   the 
Empress,  155 


Gamier,  Gommander,  54 

Germany's  views   on   an   armistice,   199 

Girardin,  Emile,  106,  113 

a  consultation  with  De  Lesseps,   141 
Gladstone,   Mr.,  visits  Chislehurst,   240 
Goddard,  Father,  252 
Gordon,     Mme.,     and     Prince     Louis- 
Napoleon,  20  et  seq. 

and    the    Strasbourg    conspiracy,    20, 
21 
Gounod,  M.,  250 
Grandperret,  M.,  280 

his  post  in  a  new  Cabinet,  no 
Grandperret,    M.,    organizes    a    second 

Government,  112 
Granville,   Lord,   and   M.    Regnier,    188 

and  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  93 
Grevy,  Jules,  114 
Guichet  de  l'£chelle,  144,  246 
Gull,   Sir  William,   Emperor's   consulta- 
tion with,  259,  260 

Hamilton,  duchess  of,  Empress's  pro- 
tracted visit  to,  66 

Harrington,   Earl  and  Countess  of,  257 

Hastings,  Empress  at,  169 

Hatzfeldt,  Count,  conveys  Bismarck's 
decision  to  Regnier,  193 

Haussman,  M.,  106 

Hinard,  M.  Damas,  private  secretary 
to  the  Empress,  91 

Hohenzollerns,   the,   and   Napoleon,    197 

Holland,  Queen  of,  gala  soiree  in  honor 

tt     °f'7+ 

Hortense,   Queen,   unpublished   memoirs 

of,  247 

Irreconcilables  of  1870,  the,  114 

Isabella  of  Spain,  Queen,  a  visit  to 
the  Tuileries,  68 

Italian  question,  the,  76 

Italy,  and  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  93 
visited  by  Empress  and  Prince  Im- 
perial, 283 

Itelezi,  Empress's  pilgrimage  to,  294 

Jacob,  M.,  Trochu's  order  to,  149 

Jerrold,  Blanchard,  243 

Jollivet,     Gaston,     informs     author     of 

capitulation  of  Sedan,  133 
Jurien,    Admiral    (see    De    fa    Graviere, 

Admiral) 

Knole,  a  delightful  day  at,  249 

Lachaud,  M.,  54 

and  the  Empress,  54 
Lafarge,  Mme.,  her  case  discust,  55 
Lamey,  M.,  175 

Lamy,  Etienne,  supports  Thiers,  132 
Lara-Minot,    M.,    and    the    Sedan    in- 
cident, 132 


324 


Index 


Latour-Dumoulin    advocates    deposition 

of  Palikao,  121 
Laurier,  Clement,  149 
La   Villette,   attack   on   fire   station   of, 

."5 

Lavisse,    M.,    and    the    publication    of 

news  of  Wissembourg  action,  96 
Lebreton-Bourbaki,     Mme.,     139,     152, 


158  (and  note),  164,  17 
a  disagreeable  priv 
devotion  of,  10 1-2 


of,  1 


89 


reproaches  the  Empress,  166 

views  and  reports  on  Camden  Place, 

Chislehurst,  233 
Le  Due,  Viollet,  54 

Leflo,  General,  summoned  to  Paris,  136 
Lennox,  Lord  Henry,  242 
Leopold,      Prince,      visits      Chislehurst, 

241 
Lepic,  General,  97 
Lesourd,  M.,  and  the  Empress,  88 
Liegeard,     M.     Stephen,     advises     the 

Empress,  140 
Longman,  Mr.,  308 
Louis    Blanc,    Mme.    Gordon    and,    21 

(note) 
Louis-Lucien,  Prince,  265 
Louis-Napoleon  (see  Napoleon  III) 
Louis    Philippe,    King,    designs    library 

at  St.  Cloud,  59 
Louise,    Duchesse   de   Montoro,    5,   65, 

69,  84,  97,  175 
Louvet,  M.,  104 
Louvre,    the,    pictures    sent    for    safety 

to  Brest,  159 
Lyons,   Lord,   and   the   Franco-Prussian 

war,  93 

MacMahon,    Marshal,    a    council    of 
war  at  Chalons,  116 
a  false  rumor  of  a  great  victory  by, 

06 
defeated  at  Reichshoffen,  98 
march  to  the  north,  120  et  seq.,  127 
retirement  of,  284 
Madeira,  Empress  at,  296 
Magne,  M.,  1 10,  112 
Magnin,  M.,  tribute  to  Clement  Duver- 

nois,  1 12 
MalakoflF,     Marechale,     at     Napoleon's 

funeral,  269 
Malmaison,  the,  a  pilgrimage  to,  89 
Marconi,  Signor,  and  the  Empress,  313 
Marie,  Duchesse  de  Galisteo,  5,  65,  69, 

84,  97,  175 
Maritzbtirg,  Empress  in,  297 
Mcgv,  M.,  74 

Mellinet,  General,  142,  155 
farewell  to  the  Empress,  152 
parleys  with  insurgents,  159 
Merimee,    M.,    a    well-known    telegram 
to,  44 


Merimee,  a  tribute  to  the  Empress,  113 


and  Empress,  14 

Montijo,  13,  24 
and  the  admirers  of  the  Empress,  36 


and  Mme.  de  Montijo, 


his  historic  visit  to  Thiers,  130 

M.  Thiers  and,  9,  131 

publishes  "  Lokis,"  60 
Metternich,    Prince,   97,    ic6,    158,    160 

and  the  capitulation  of  Metz,  223 

Empress's  conversations  with,  94 

his  "incorrect  mission,"  223 

the  Empress  and,  115 
Metternich,  Princess,  249 
Metz,    a    mission    from,    to    Prussian 
headquarters,  208 

capitulation  demanded,  200 

fall  of,  226 
Montijo  (see  De  Montijo) 
Murat,    Princess    Anna,    at    Fontaine- 
bleau,  47 

Napoleon  III,  Emperor,  a  council  of 
war  at  Chalons,  116 

a  disturbing  letter  from,  94 

a  faux-pas  of,  77 

a  holiday  at  Torquay,  2C5 

a  momentous  utterance  by,  90 

a  note  on  Queen  Victoria's  visit,  240 

a  pen  portrait  of  the  Empress  by, 
30  et  seq. 

an  address  from  the  Senate,  89 

and  author,  247 

announces  Prince  Imperial's  baptism 
of  fire,  95 

approves  action  of  author,  196 

arrives  at  Chislehurst,  239 

as  card-player,  73 

Bismarck's  interview  with,  after  Se- 
dan, 203 

consults  Sir  W.  Gull  and  Sir  J.  Pa- 
get, 259 

contents  of  his  pocket-book,  35  (note) 

death  and  funeral  of,  260  et  seq. 

discusses  an  armistice,  198 

Empress's  visit  to  Wilhelmshohe,  254 

English  welcome  to,  240 

essays  work  of  a  turner,  248 

his  admiration  of  Empress's  political 
talents,  80  (note) 

his  aloofness  during  the  crisis,  87 

his  coffin-plate,  266 

his  deposition  pronounced  in  the 
Chamber,  149 

his    indifference    to    money    matters, 

.279  .  . 

his    plan    of    campaign    and    how    it 

was  thwarted,  94 
in  a  temper,  28 

in  an  invidious  position,  113  et  seq. 
invents  a  new  mortar,  248 
leaves  to  join  his  army,  90 
liaisons  of,  14,  25,  32,  76 


325 


Index 


Napoleon,  III,    Emperor,  marriage    of, 

perfect  sympathy  and  understanding 

with  the  Empress,  252 
personal  estate  of,  278  (note) 
plays  patience,  250 
resigns  command  to  Marshal  Bazaine, 

"5   .  . 

superstition  of,  78 
two-party  system  of,  77 
will  of,  272 
Napoleon,   Eugene   Louis  Jean  Joseph, 
better    known    as    the    Prince    Im- 
perial (q.  v.) 
Napoleon,  Prince  Jerome,  14  (note) 
a  private  conversation  with  Empress, 

275 
and  the  Empress,  38 
and  the  Franco-Prussian  War,  93 
arrested  and  imprisoned,  30s 
attends  requiem  Mass  at  Chislehurst, 

307 
demands  a  second  will,  274 
recommends    nomination    of    Trochu 

as  Governor  of  Paris,  117 
responsible    for   a    malignant    rumor, 

277 
terms  on  which  he  would   make   rec- 
onciliation, 276 
Napoleon,     Prince     Louis,     and     Mile. 

Rachel,  14  (note) 
Napoleon,  Prince  Victor,  291 
Napoleon-Charles,  Prince,  265 
National   Guard,  the,  favors  the  Revo- 
lution, 151 
Ney,  Edgar,  Napoleon's  letter  to,  78 
Nigra,  Chevalier,  156,  158,  160 
Nisson,  Mme.,  at  Chislehurst,  252 

O'Connor,  Father,  251 
Ollivier,  Emile,  100 

a  message  from  the  Empress  to,   102 

a  telegram  to  the  Emperor  from,  103 

and  the  Empress,  83 

invidious  position  of,  104 

precludes     Empress     from     attending 
Council  of  Ministers,  83 

requests  Empress  to  return  to  Paris, 

97 
resignation  of,  109 
tribute   to   chairmanship   of  Empress 

at  the  Council,  102 

Paget,  Lord  Alfred,  241 

Paget,   Sir  James,   a  consultation  with, 

n     ?59 

Palais  Bourbon,  the,  in  hands  of  revo- 
lutionaries, 150 
Paris,     a     committee    for     defense     of, 
appointed,  121 
a  night  sitting  of  the  Chamber,   138 
Empress's  visit  in  1883,  306 


[26 


Paris,  flight  of  the  Empress,  152 
premature  rejoicings  in,  96 
preparations  for  siege  in,  III 
Revolution  scenes  in,  138 
task  of  provisioning  for  siege  of,   112 
the   Chamber  invaded   by   the   mob, 

,  x+9 
the  Palais  Bourbon  in  hands  of  the 

mob,  150 
under  martial  law,  97 
"white  overalls"  riots  in,  74,  80 
Patti,  Mme.,  at  Chislehurst,  252 
Picard,  Ernest,  and  the  Marquis  d'An- 

delarre,  125 
Pietri,  Franceschini,  44,  117 
and  Napoleon's  will,  274,  278 
at  Chislehurst,  239 
at  obsequies  of  Emperor,  265 
death  of,  315 
Empress  describes  scene  of  her  son's 

death  to,  302 
goes  to  the  front,  91 
Pietri,  Franceschini,  his  rooms  at  Villa 
Cyrnos,  Cap  Martin,  311 
integrity  of,  278 
Pinard,  M.,  280 
opposes    dethronement    of    Emperor, 
138 
Pius     IX,    Pope,    Prince     Imperial    re- 
ceived by,  284 
Portocarrero,  Colonel,  9 
Portocarrero,  Paca  (see  De  Montijo) 
Prevost-Paradol,    M.,    visits    the    Em- 
press, 86 
Prince   Imperial,   the,   a   bilious   attack, 
28 
a  settlement  by  Empress  on,  280 
antipathy    against    Prince    Napoleon, 

305 
as  theater-goer,  251 
at  Hastings,  168 
at  obsequies  of  his  father,   264,   268, 

270 
at    Royal    Military   Academy,    Wool- 
wich, 259,  272 
death  of,  292 
Empress  wishes  him  to  see  the  poor, 

65 
first  public  speech  in  English,  249 
grave  of,  visited  by  Empress,  299 
his  anxiety  to  go  to  the  front,  89 
his  baptism  of  fire,  95 
his  tutor,  2  et  seq. 
lessons  in  cycling,  47 
motives    actuating   his    departure   for 

South  Africa,  288  et  seq. 
movements   during   last   days   of  the 

Empire,  128-130 
nominates  his  heir,  305 
obtains    permission    to    join    English 

Army  in  South  Africa,  287 
pays  his  respects  to  Pius  IX,  284 


Index 


Prince    Imperial,    present   at   a    review 

near  Hampton  Court,  249 

recreations  of,  249 

relaxations  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  257 

rooms  at  Chislehurst,  236-7 

signs      M.      Regnier's      photographs, 
179 

studies  of,  256,  281 

thriftiness  of,  279 

views  on  marriage,  285 

visits  Arenenberg,  283 

visits  to  places  of  interest,  249 

will  disinheriting  Prince  Napoleon,  291 

Zulu  testimony  as  to  his  death,  301 
Prussia    not    hostile    to    Imperial    Dy- 
nasty, 204 
Prussian    Government    demands    guar- 
antees of  peace,  199 

negotiations  with,  after  fall  of  Metz, 
232 

warned  by  Empress,  188 
Przedjecka,  Mme.,  at  Fontainebleau,  47 

Rachel,     Mlle.,     "heroine"     worship 

for,  13 
Ranc,     M.,    and    the    capitulation    of 

Sedan,  133 
Redel,     Mile.,     Imperial     governess,    5 

(note),  97 
Regnault   de   St.   Jean-d'Angely,   Mare- 

chale,  269 
Regnier,  M.,  arrives  at  Hastings,  175 
at  Prussian  headquarters,  181,  193 
death  of,  194 
English  opinion  of,  189 
how  he  obtained  signed  photographs, 

179  et  seq. 
received   by  the  Empress,   190  et  seq. 
Reichshoffen,  MacMahon  defeated  at,  98 
Revolution,  French,  dawn  of,  139 
Revolutions,  first  effects  of,  216 
Rosebery,   Lord,   on  the  Empress's   ad- 
mirers, 36 
on  the  fall  of  the  first  Empire,  143 
Rouher,  M.,  100,  281 

particulars  of  lying  in   state  of  Em- 
peror, 266 
questions  M.  Lesourd,  88 
settles  at  Richmond,  239 
suggests  negotiator  for  peace,  201 
Russell,  Earl,  242 

Russia  and  the  Franco-Prussian  war,  94 
Grand     Duchess     Marie    of,     a     gala 
soiree  in  honor  of,  74 

Saint-Arnaud,  MarIchale,   at   funeral 

of  Emperor,  269 
Saint  Cloud,  a  description  of,  57 

a  fatal   telegram  from  General   Head- 
quarters received  at,  98 
author     presented     to     Empress     Eu- 
genie at,  2 


Saint  Cloud,  life  at,  58 

ministerial  visits  to,  85 

the   Court   in   the   summer   of  1870, 
8±  et  seq. 

the  library  at,  59 
St.  Hilaire,  Barthelemy,  141  (note) 
Salome,  Princess,  239 
Sandeau,  Jules,  librarian  at  Saint  Cloud, 

59      . 
Sardou,  Victorien,  155 
Sarrebriick,  the  engagement  at,  95 
Savary,  M.,  54 
Schmitz,     General,    Trochu's      chief-of- 

staff,  144 
Schneider,  M.,  100 

in  tears,  136 
Scott,  Dr.,  295 
Sedan,    capitulation    of:    a    controversy 

regarding,  131  et  seq. 
See,  Dr.  Germain,  diagnoses  Emperor's 

malady,  259  (note) 
Shaw,  Miss,  English  nurse  of  the  Prince 

Imperial,  27 
Slade,  Captain,  299 

accompanies   Empress   to   Itelezi,   295 
South    Africa,    public    sympathy    with 
Empress  in,  297 
death  of  Prince  Imperial  in,  292 
(see  also  Zulu  War) 
Southwark,    Catholic    Bishop   of,    offici- 
ates at  funeral  of  Emperor,  269 
Spain,  a  revolution  in,  20 
State  balls  at  the  Tuileries,  69 
Steenackers,  M.,  Trochu's  order  to,  137 
"Stendhal,"  M.   (Henri  Beyle),  childish 
recollections  of,  13 
Empress's  letter  of  1839  to,  16 
Stoffel,  Colonel,  276 

urges   Prince   Imperial   to  enter  Aus- 
trian army,  285 
Strasbourg  conspiracy,  the,  21 
Strode,  Nathaniel,  ancestors  of,  236 
at  Camden  Place,  238 
offers  a  residence  to  Empress,  233 
Suez  Canal,  opening  of  the,  12 
Suffield,    Lord,    at    obsequies    of    Em- 
peror, 268 
Sullivan,    Sir  Arthur,   piano   improvisa- 
tions at  Chislehurst,  252 
Sydney,    Lady,    at    obsequies    of    Em- 
peror, 269 
visits  to  Camden  Place,  242 
Sydney,    Lord,   at   funeral   of  Napoleon 
III,  268 
fata!  news  for  Empress,  293 
takes    Prince   Imperial   to   Houses   of 

Parliament,  249 
visits  to  Camden  Place,  242 


Tachard,  M.,  188,  201 

Tait,  Archbishop,  at  Chislehurst,  242 

Thelin,  Gabriel,  63 


327 


Index 


Thiers,  M.,  9 

a  memorable  utterance  of,  87 

and   the  committee  for  defense,   121, 

122 
and  the  Empress,  115 
buys    the    "secrets'     of  a    renegade, 

?44 

evidence    before    Commission    of   In- 
quiry, 130  et  seq.,  141  (note) 

his     proposition     in     the     Chamber, 

,   H9 

Merimee's  historic  visit  to,  130 
Thistle,  Empress's  voyages  on,  313 
Thompson,  Sir  Henry,  operates  on  the 

Emperor,  260 
Tissot,    M.,    his    "incorrect    mission," 

225 
Tours,  Bourbaki's  reception  at,  189 
Government     of,     feigns     indignation 

at  fall  of  Metz,  230 
Tower     of    London,     a    visit    to    the, 

249 
Trianon,  the,  court-martial  at,  231 
Trochu,  General,  100 

a  lame  explanation  by,  144 

a  pen-portrait  of,  122  et  seq. 

and  "moral  force,"  121,  124 

awaits  events,  150 

Bismarck's  opinion  of,  208 

conditions  on  which  he  would  accept 

office,  106 
exercises  his  powers,  149 
Governor  of  Paris,  109,  116 
his  first  decree,  150  (note) 
in  command  of  an  army  corps,  m 
in  open  rebellion,  137 
rash  speech  to  the  Mobiles,  120 
refuses    to    obey    ari    order    from    the 

Regent,  136,  143 
relations  with   members  of  the  Left, 

124,  125 
tribute  to  the  Empress,  113 
Tuileries,    the,    a    Council    meeting    at, 

100 
a   hospital   established   on   the  terrace 

of,  126 
an  armed  crowd  before,  153 
an    ecclesiastical    humbug's   visit,    113 
besieged,  139 
charades  at,  72 
De   Lesseps'    account   of  invasion    of, 

J54 
deputation   from    Parliament   at,    145 
evenings  at,  73 
"family  dinners"  at,  70 
hostility  of  the  Guards,  145 
informal  dinners  at,  68 
life  at,  61  et  seq.,  101 
loyalty  of  household  at,  142,  143 
State  balls  at,  69 
the  Emperor's  rooms,  63 
the  Empress's  rooms,  62 


Tuileries,  the  Guichet  de  I'fichelle,  144, 
246 
the  oratory  at,  64 

Uhlmann,   servant  of  Prince  Imperial, 
179,  292 

Val-de-Grace,  Empress's  visit  to,  125 
Vaudrey,  Colonel,  21 
Vaughan,  Miss  Minnie,  243 
Versailles,  a  telegram  from  Emperor  to 
Prussian  headquarters  at,  198 
General    Boyer's  interview  with   Bis- 
marck, 202  et  seq. 
Victor  Emmanuel,  King,  a  witty  reply 

of  Empress  to,  281 
Victoria,  Queen,   confers  Order  of  Star 
of  India  on  De  Lesseps,  154 
friendship  with  the  Empress,  241 
learns  of  death  of  Prince  Imperial,  292 
solicitude  of,  for  Empress,  292,  295 
visits  Camden  Place,  240 
Vieillard,    M.,    and    Mile.    Rachel,     14 

(note) 
Vinoy,  General,  an  army  corps  for,  in 

Wales,  Prince  of  (afterwards  Edward 
VII),  at  lying  in  state  of  Emperor, 
263 
thanksgiving  service  for  recovery  of, 
240 
Walewska,  Mme.,  101 

her  daughters,  84 
Walewski,  Comte,  314 
Washburne,  Mr.,  U.  S.  Minister,  163 
Waterpark,  Lady,  241 
Welschinger,     Henri,     his     "Diplomatic 
History  of  the  War  of  1870,"  226 
(note) 
"White  overalls"  riots  in  Paris,  74,  80 
Wight,  Isle  of,  a  holiday  in,  256  et  seq. 
Wilhelmshohe,    a    telegram    from    Em- 
peror  at,   and    Prussian   reply,    198 
Empress's  secret  visit  to,  254 
William    of    Prussia,    King,    insists    on 
cessions,  228-9 
refuses  negotiations  suggested  by  Em- 
press, 223 
refuses  to  treat,  215 
Winterhalter's  portrait  of  the  Empress, 

.3.4 
Wissembourg,  battle  of,  95 
Wolseley,     Lord,     receives     orders     for 

return  of  Prince  Imperial,  292 
Wood,  General  Sir  Evelyn  (Field  Mar- 
shal), an  inquiry  in  Zululand  by,  301 
as  escort  for  Empress,  295 
Wood,  Lady,  296 

Zululand,  Empress  Eugenie  in,  299 
Zulu   War,    Prince   Imperial   takes   part 
in,  287  et  seq. 


328 


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